Into the Woods
by MamaBearKat
Summary: When Kagome visits her ill grandfather at his isolated mountain shrine in the woods, she didn't know she would be facing an ancient evil, or uncovering a shared destiny with a grumpy inuhanyou woodsman that would change everything. Modern InuKag AU, Winner of Best Inuyasha Action fanfic (2Qu) by Feudal Connection. M for swearing, violence and smexiness. Cover art by Clearwillow.
1. Chapter 1

_Kagome's heart thudded in her ears as she careered out of the doorway, half fastened boots slipping on the gravelled path. The plastic toggle on the drawstring of her oversized red hoodie whipped into her cheek as she skidded around the corner of the house. The chilled mountain air felt harsh, catching in her throat as she gasped for breath, the oxygen in her lungs stolen by the horrifying images just left behind._

_A vision of her loving grandfather's face, his features twisted almost beyond recognition into a mask of lust and violence swam before her eyes and she pushed it away, madly dashing towards the crumbling steps leading downwards towards the moss-covered Torii gate, uncaring of the high possibility of falling and snapping her neck in her eagerness to get away._

_"There's no point running little girl. I seeee yooouu."_

_Kagome smothered a sound midway between a terrified shriek and a sob behind her shaking hand. A long cherished childhood memory of a game of hide and seek with her grandfather tore at her, made her gasp, tears threatening to spill. It was still her grandfather's voice, but she knew. She knew it wasn't him._

_She began running down the eroded stone steps, her loose boots almost tripping her up. The worn dirt path stretched out ahead of her, a winding but clear escape route all the way to the main road. But wouldn't he expect her to use the path? The road was a forty-minute hike away, and it was doubtful that any cars would be travelling towards the isolated shrine at dusk. And what if he caught up to her? He'd already proven that even though he looked like her grandfather, his strength and speed wasn't that of a frail man in his late seventies._

_Her thoughts leaped towards the only other person she'd seen in the forest today – the grumpy woodcutter who'd warned her to stay on the path, the inu youkai with silver hair and ears and piercing amber eyes. Could she find him in the dwindling light? He'd told her he lived in the forest, but she had no idea where._

_The only thing she could do was run. Mama and Souta were far away in Tokyo. No one else apart from the woodcutter and the little old woman at the roadside stall even knew she was here. No one would be coming to save her. Choking back another sob she plunged into the increasing gloom of the forest next to the path and ran, heedless of the sharp twigs catching at her like bony fingers, tearing bloodied scratches into her pale skin._

* * *

"Are you sure you have everything you need honey?"

Kagome smiled at her mother as she shrugged her yellow backpack onto her shoulder, heavy with a week's worth of clothes and her mother's gifts of food for her grandfather.

"Yup, I'm all set." She knew the tightness around her mother's eyes and mouth were due to more than the early morning start to make it to the station on time; she was really worried about Grandpa. Kagome was glad that she could ease her mother's burden by travelling to the isolated mountain shrine to check up on him.

"You know I can be there by Sunday, right?" The slightly shaky tone of her mother's voice confirmed Kagome's theory. "I'm so sorry I can't come straight away, but there's no one available to take over the project at work, and with Souta having his high school entrance exams this week… Grandpa sounded so frail and frightened on the phone, not like himself at all, and I just…"

"Mama, calm down! It's not like I'm a little kid anymore - we've been over this." She stroked her mother's arm, trying to reassure her. "I'm happy that I can go check on Grandpa. It's just lucky that I have time before my last semester begins at university." She smiled at her mother, watching her take a deep calming breath. "And besides, I haven't visited the shrine yet since he moved there. It'll be nice to have time to visit with him and breathe a little fresh mountain air."

"You remember which bus to catch from the station right?" fussed her mother in a worried tone. "And you've got the map? Make sure you get there before it's dark, the forest trails can be slippery if it rains or gets foggy. And make sure you stay on the path – I don't want to get a call to tell me you've broken your leg getting your foot stuck in a fox hole or something."

"Mama, you worry too much!" Kagome grinned, leaning forward to embrace the slightly shorter woman in a swift hug. "It'll be fine, you'll see; Grandpa probably just has a bad cold, and after I pamper him for a few days with all the food you've packed he'll be feeling much better, chewing my ear off with one of those old youkai folktales he used to tell me at bedtime. You might not even have to come at the end of the week – I promise I'll call tonight and let you know how things are." A small soft voice whispered in the back of Kagome's mind, and she pushed it away, just as she usually did.

Her mother returned her hug tightly, pressing her cheek against Kagome's and rocking her slightly from side to side. "I know, honey, I know, I'm probably worrying over nothing, but just humour your mother okay? I just have a feeling that somethings not right. Please, please be careful."

The whooshing sound of the Shinkansen approaching the station cut short their conversation. Kagome lined up behind the number painted on the platform that corresponded to her assigned carriage. She blew her mother a final kiss as the door slid open and stepped onto the train.

Kagome swung her backpack down to the ground, and pushed her hands into the small of her back, glad to be able to stretch after sitting on public transport all day. She had been walking up the steep mountain trail for about twenty minutes, and guessed she was about halfway to the shrine. Even though the shaded path was cool, the climb had made her feel a little sweaty, and she tugged off her favourite red hoodie, rolling it into a ball and stashing it in the top of her backpack. Time for a little break and she definitely deserved a snack.

She sat down on a moss-covered log next to the path, sipping from her water bottle and munching appreciatively on the pale pink mochi bought at the little family run stall near the bus stop at the base of the mountain trail. It was well past her usual lunch time, and the sakura mochi sweetened with red bean paste was just what she'd needed.

Her mind pondered the weird interaction with the stall owner as she swallowed the last mouthful. She'd been chatting happily to the smiling old lady after she made her choice and handed over her coins, and it had been a total surprise when the woman had gasped in horror when she'd explained where she was travelling. The tiny woman had shuffled away into a back room, pushing aside the sun faded noren that hung in the doorway and returning moments later with a small object clutched in her arthritic hand. She had thrust it into Kagome's palm – a yakuyoke omamori.

"For protection against evil", she'd whispered, looking around suspiciously as if they might be overheard by someone, folding Kagome's fingers over the small yellow brocade talisman and squeezing them tight. "Stay on the path – I warned your Grandfather, but he refused to listen." Before Kagome could thank her, she'd disappeared behind the fabric divider again. The conversation was obviously over.

Kagome pulled the small rectangular amulet out of the pocket of her cut off denim shorts and held it in her palm again. Holding it up by the looped string, she watched it twisting in the sunlight filtering down through the green canopy above, the gold brocade glinting, smiling indulgently at the old woman's superstition. Her Grandfather was the same; he'd been brought up in a Shinto shrine down in the village below the mountain, and still followed the old ways.

Her grandfather had spent many happy hours telling her traditional stories about youkai and miko, and his childhood growing up at a shrine in a small village. She'd even considered taking on a part-time position as a miko at a nearby shrine in Tokyo. It would have been a pleasant way to earn a little extra money while she completed her nursing degree, seeing she was already familiar with many of the duties. But then she'd found a job at a nearby café that fit her lecture timetable and nursing placement at the hospital, so she hadn't pursued it, even though she was sure it would have made her Grandfather very proud.

Mama had been a little worried about Grandpa moving back to Kyushu to take over as shinshoku of the isolated mountain shrine also owned by his family, but Kagome had understood. He'd moved from Kumamoto prefecture to Tokyo to help look after them when Papa had died, but he'd never really been happy there. Now that his older brother had passed away, he was the last person left to take over, unless her or Souta decided to move here.

She breathed in the clean crisp air, enjoying the novelty of solitude. A gentle breeze rushed through the branches above, reminding her of the sound of the sea. Small birds chirped nearby, and black and white butterflies flittered through the soft beams of afternoon sunlight dappling the dirt path in front of her. She took another deep breath. All was quiet and tranquil, so different from the constant bustle of Tokyo. There probably wasn't another soul around for miles.

"You know, that little scrap a cloth ain't gonna do shit for ya."

Kagome shrieked, jumping up from her seat on the fallen log and away from the deep voice that had whispered directly into her ear. She twisted, almost losing her balance and tripping over as she turned abruptly to see who had broken the silence.

A man was standing there behind the log. Lean, but broad shouldered and a whole head taller than her, a teasing grin on his face. No wait – fangs? Along with claws, short silver hair and… were those dog ears? A youkai then? Kagome wasn't frightened; she had a few friends at university who were youkai. Shippou was one of her best friends, and Jinenji wouldn't hurt a fly. She frowned at the grinning male, taking in his black and red checked flannel shirt, dusty jeans and axe resting on his shoulder as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"You scared me you jerk! What are you, some kind of wood cutter?"

"That's _exactly_ what Iam", he smirked. "And I take it _you_ are lost."

Kagome bristled slightly at the insinuation. Obviously, he was under the misguided impression that the weak little woman needed saving. "No, I'm _not_ lost! I know exactly where I'm going. I'm walking that way", she said, pointing up the mountain path.

"Then you're headin' in the wrong direction woman. The main road's back behind you."

Kagome hmphed, crossing her arms. "Well, not that it's any of your business, but I'm not headed to the main road. I'm walking up to the shrine."

The tall man's eyebrows lowered, and he frowned at her, shrugging the wooden axe handle from his shoulder in a graceful movement to drop the heavy metal blade on the forest floor with a dull thud. "Why would ya wanna go up there? It's just a long dusty walk with not much to look at. Nothin' interesting, no pretty stalls to buy trinkets at, no food, not even a vending machine. You're wastin' ya time. You'd better head on back to the road before the last bus comes."

"Shows how much you know. My Grandpa lives there, he moved there about a month ago. I'm going to visit him."

The man's amber eyes widened in surprise. "So, you're jiji's granddaughter huh? He's a stubborn old coot."

Kagome frowned at him. "You just told me that no-one lived there!"

He smirked, leaning forward a little. "No, if you'd been listening woman, you'd know that I said there was nothing of _interest_ up there – that's not a lie."

"Hey, don't be rude!"

He sighed, scratching his chin with a clawed forefinger and looking upwards to the tree line above as if the conversation was already boring him. "Well, since you're related to him, and he is kinda my neighbour, I suppose I should introduce myself. Name's Inuyasha." He nodded his head in what Kagome supposed could be called an approximation of a bow. A sudden sunbeam passed across his face as he inclined his head, highlighting his high cheekbones and strangely coloured eyes so they seemed to sparkle like citrine quartz crystals.

Kagome sighed, clasping her fingers together on her thighs and leaning forward. Just because he was an overly macho grump didn't mean she couldn't be polite. "My name is Higurashi Kagome. It's a pleasure to meet you Inuyasha-san."

He grinned at her again, one white fang poking rakishly over his bottom lip. "It ain't nice to lie to people Higurashi – no one's ever been pleased to meet me my whole life, and I doubt you're gonna be the first."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him as she straightened up. "My apologies Inuyasha-san", she huffed. "My Grandpa is expecting me. Please, don't let me keep you." She swung her heavy backpack up onto her shoulders and turned to continue up the mountain path. A grumbling growl followed her.

"Hey, Higurashi Kagome." She paused. "If you are gonna waste your time goin' up there, keep your wits about you. You've got a couple a hours before sunset, make sure you get there before it gets dark. And stay on the path."

Kagome turned to face him again, her eyebrow twitching. "You're the third person to say that to me today. I didn't think there were any bears left in Kyushu!"

"It ain't bears ya gotta worry about around here", he said with a growl. "Just stay on the path Higurashi. And trust your gut!" With that he shouldered his axe and turned to head off into the trees.

"Hey, what about you?!" Kagome yelled behind him as he disappeared in amongst the trees, only the occasional flash of white or red showing his whereabouts, his progress through the heavily wooded forest almost silent.

"Doesn't apply to me woman; I live here! And I ain't a weak human like you are. Stay on the path!"

"Jerk!" Grumbling, Kagome hitched her backpack more comfortably on her shoulders and shoved the tiny talisman back in her pocket, beginning her climb up the winding path to the top of the mountain again. If she never saw that grump again, it would be too soon for her.

* * *

"Grandpa, are you here? It's me Kagome!" She tapped on the door of the little house behind the shrine. The shrine building and grounds had been still and empty, the bell silent, no incense burning in the large holder, and twigs and leaves littering the gravel around it. Maybe Grandpa wasn't feeling well enough to sweep them away? The little house seemed silent also, and a small shard of disquiet lodged in Kagome's chest. What if Mama was right, and there was something really wrong with Grandpa? She tried the front door, but it was locked firmly.

The windows at the front were covered by blinds, so Kagome headed around the side of the house. A small window near the back of the house was uncovered, and she cupped her hands around her face, trying to peer in. The late afternoon sunshine lit up the small kitchen and the scene inside filled her with alarm. The sink was filled with more than a day's worth of dirty dishes, the cutlery drawer was overturned, and silverware, sharp knives, broken glass and spilled rice littered the floor. The door to the refrigerator was wide open.

Kagome ran to the rear of the house, knocking frantically on the back door. "Grandpa! Grandpa, can you hear me? Are you okay? Please open the door!" She twisted the doorknob, and sighed in relief when she found it unlocked. She dropped her backpack and loosened the tops of her hiking boots, toeing them off next to her Grandfather's neatly arranged shoes.

"Grandpa? Grandpa, where are you?" Kagome ran into the kitchen, stepping carefully around the broken glass on the wooden floor to avoid cutting her sock clad feet. The small tatami room off to one side was empty save for a low table and seating cushions. The short hallway ended in a bathroom; an open bottle of pain medication left on the sink.

She slid open the door to the next room – her Grandfather's sleeping futon was still laid out on the tatami mats, the quilt messily turned aside. Kagome was beginning to panic now. She had never known her Grandfather to leave his futon out after sleeping – he was a stickler for tidying his bedding away in the morning. She glanced unhappily around the room for clues to his whereabouts, her hands clenching and unclenching, but there was nothing to see except for dust motes drifting through bright beams of sunlight filtering through the paper shoji screens.

Kagome walked back to the kitchen, unsure of what to do. Should she call Mama straight away? She pulled her phone out of her pocket, noticing that her battery was nearly dead – she'd been reading and listening to music on the train and bus for hours, so she wasn't surprised. But calling Mama without knowing where Grandpa was would just frighten her. She stared at her phone screen, her thoughts racing along with her heart. What should she do? She was almost startled out of her wits by a sudden tap on her shoulder.

"Grandpa!" She dropped her phone in her surprise, turning to fling her arms around the frail old man and bending down to hug him close. "Where were you, I was so worried!" She pulled back to look at his face. His eyes looked bloodshot and his eyelashes were wet, and it looked like there were traces of tears on his pale cheeks. Had he been crying? And the way he was looking at her was like he didn't recognise her at all!

"Grandpa?" she said uncertainly. "Are you okay? It's me, Kagome."

His eyes blinked, and then a wide smile curved his lips. "Ah, Kagome my child, it's good to see you. Your mother said you would be visiting during your semester break. How are your studies progressing?"

"Never mind that Grandpa! What happened?" She pointed towards the mess on the floor.

The old man shrugged and walked past her to the refrigerator, pushing the door closed. "Nothing to worry about. I've had a slight cold this week. I was making lunch and had a bit of a dizzy spell. I decided to go sit in the open air outside the shrine and clear my head a little before I cleaned up."

Kagome bit her lip, trying to push back the pure panic that had been rushing through her only moments before. "But why didn't I see you then? I looked _everywhere_ for you Grandpa!"

Kagome blinked. For a moment, she had thought she saw a look of extreme anger pass across her Grandfather's face like a dark shadow, and a warning voice hissed in the back of her mind, but then it was gone without trace. She must have been mistaken. Her Grandfather reached up and patted her shoulder.

"We must have just missed each other dear girl. Go sit down and I'll make some tea."

"No, no, I'll do it. You haven't been well, and that's why I'm visiting after all. Please let me look after you Grandpa!" He smiled at her indulgently.

"Very well, if you insist. I'll go sit down."

Kagome watched him walk out of the kitchen, his steps a little uncertain, like he was still dizzy. She was concerned, but thankful. Things weren't as bad as she had feared. Hopefully, he would let her quiz him about his symptoms so she could decide if they needed to travel into the village to visit a doctor. It was true that dehydration could cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, and confusion in the elderly – maybe that was the reason for his symptoms? He'd tended to be reticent about sharing health matters with her and her mother in the past, but this time she would not take no for an answer. She would look after him for a few days, and he would be back to his normal blustery self.

* * *

Kagome bustled around the little kitchen, stepping carefully over the mess still littering the floor as she put the kettle on the stove. She emptied her backpack of the treats her mother had made to bring. All her grandfather's favourites; twisted azuki bread, tiny matcha butter cookies and a roasted rice tea that he was particularly fond of. Grandpa first, then tidying up. She put a plate of treats and a cup of tea on a tray for him, trying to make it look as beautifully presented as Mama would have, and carried it into the tatami room where he was seated on a cushion, gazing at nothing with a vacant expression on his face.

He turned his head towards her at her as she entered the room. Kagome noticed his eyes still looked a little bloodshot; even his iris looked different, the usual dark brown looking almost dark red. He blinked at her, taking a moment to respond to her presence as if he had been deep in thought. Maybe he had a headache? She felt a little uneasy but pushed the feeling down, and smiled at him. He tilted his head to look at the tray.

"Thank you, child, this looks lovely."

Feeling pleased and proud, Kagome placed the tray down in front of him. She had missed his presence at the shrine when she'd gone home to visit Mama and Souta. Her grandfather was set in his ways, a little stubborn, but she'd always felt the love and care he'd had for all of them under his reserved exterior, and praise from him always felt special, because it was hard earned.

"It's no problem at all Grandpa. I'm just going to go clean up in the kitchen, and then start on dinner okay? Drink your tea before it gets cold. It's important to drink lots of fluids if you've been unwell." She watched him reach for the cup, tremors shaking fingers as he reached for his tea. He was definitely ill, but knowing him, he was probably hiding exactly how ill he was from her.

She almost chuckled as she went back to the kitchen, thinking of what that rude woodcutter she'd met on the trail had said to her earlier – her grandfather really _was_ a stubborn old coot wasn't he. She ran hot water into the sink, and began methodically adding the dirty dishes to start cleaning up, wondering a little about their chance meeting. He'd been abrasively rude, almost to the point that Kagome thought he might be actively trying to get rid of her. She snorted. He might be a woodcutter, but it wasn't like he _owned_ the forest – she had as much right to be on the path as anyone, more perhaps, due to her family history. The woods on this side of the mountain belonged to the shrine. There must be some standing agreement giving him permission to live and work in the forest. She'd ask Grandpa about it, once he was feeling better.

She scrubbed vigorously at some baked on sauce clinging to the enamel coating of a heavy cast iron frypan. The forest was definitely beautiful, but wouldn't it be lonely to live all by yourself out here? Yes, it was true that Grandpa had moved here to live alone, but that youkai hadn't looked much older than herself – mid twenties maybe? Although she guessed it was hard to judge youkai ages sometimes. Her friend Shippou had explained that youkai aged differently to humans – once they reached their full physical and mental capabilities, their aging slowed dramatically. For all she knew, that youkai could be as old as her grandfather.

Although, there'd been something about him that made her feel that he was around her age. If he hadn't had that scowl on his face, she would have thought him handsome – beautiful even, with those amber eyes, twitching ears and startlingly white hair. His movements had been lithe and graceful as he'd walked away, even though he was wearing heavy boots. And his walk had an element of swagger in it that she thought could possibly be considered attractive. It was a shame he was such a grump.

Kagome finished the washing up, leaving it on the side of the sink to dry, ready to put away later. She plugged in her phone to charge, remembering that she'd promised to call Mama this evening – it would only worry her if she didn't call.

A cold chill ran over her bare arms, making her shiver. She glanced out the kitchen window she'd opened to let in the warm afternoon breeze, taking note of the lengthening shadows. The sun would be setting soon, and the temperature was dropping. Mist was drifting through the trees; it must be a trick of the late afternoon light, but it seemed to have a purplish hue. She'd never seen anything like it before. She shivered again. It was eerie.

Sudden goose bumps flared on her arms, and Kagome pulled the window closed, rubbing vigorously with her hands to help dispel them. She dug her red hoodie out of her backpack, shoving it back over her head and pushing her arms through the sleeves. Much better. It was a standing joke in her family that when she bought a new hoodie, it was always red. It just made her feel warmer somehow.

She picked up the cutlery drawer and put it back in its place, carefully sliding the largest carving knife back into the empty space in the knife block on the kitchen bench. She used the broom to sweep the spilled rice and broken glass into a little heap near the bin, but couldn't find a dustpan and brush. Rather than disturb her grandfather, Kagome picked up the biggest pieces with her fingers, collecting the pieces in her open hand. A jagged piece sliced across her palm and she dropped the collected glass with a yelp.

"Is everything alright granddaughter?"

"Don't worry Grandpa, just a little cut, everything's okay", she called back. Holding her other hand under her dripping palm she walked over to the now empty sink, wondering where her grandfather might keep his first aid kit. She didn't think the cut was deep enough to need stitching, but it was stinging quite badly. She must have nicked a few blood vessels, because it seemed to be bleeding a lot for the size of the cut. She turned on the tap, ready to run it under the water, when her grandfather's hand shot out from behind her and grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Show me your hand."

Kagome flinched. How did he get into the kitchen so fast, when he had looked so dizzy before? And his voice sounded… odd. Not caring like it usually would if she had injured herself. She turned to look at him as he inspected her palm carefully, the bright red blood pooling in her cupped hand.

"Grandpa, please, it's gonna drip everywhere and make a mess. Let me… ow, you're hurting me!'

His grip on her wrist was suddenly fierce, and she whimpered trying to tug her arm back. When did her frail Grandfather suddenly get this strong? His slightly long fingernails were almost piercing her skin and it felt like the bones in her wrist were close to cracking. "Grandpa, please stop!" She tried to look into his eyes to catch his attention, but he seemed to be almost mesmerised by the warm blood that was now beginning to run down her wrist and over his fingers.

"It smells so sweet", he muttered to himself, ignoring Kagome's whimpers and efforts to pull back her hand entirely. "I can sense the power of it. Who would have thought such a prize would come to me willingly? I had thought to wait and bide my time until I gained strength, but it would be a shame to waste this." He suddenly jammed the forefinger of his other hand into the open wound and Kagome shrieked, watching him with horror as he pulled back his finger and placed it into his mouth, tasting her blood. He moaned softly, almost like a lover would, then bent his head to slurp and lick the blood out of her palm, pulling at the cut with his other hand to encourage the blood flow.

Kagome tugged backwards frantically trying to get away, her sock covered feet slipping on the wooden floor. This made absolutely no sense. Had her Grandfather gone insane? Had the isolation of the shrine made him crazy? This couldn't be real! She moaned in horror and he looked up at her, his lips, teeth and chin coated in her blood. His irises were pure red, full of rage and lust and a horrible stench reached her nose, like rotten meat. He grinned at her; his once kindly face unrecognisable.

"No need to prepare dinner Kagome-chan", he grinned malevolently. "I already have plans." Purplish black miasma began to leak out of his eyes and mouth and Kagome felt her stomach turn. She reached behind her frantically with her other hand, feeling for anything that might aid her escape. Her fist closed around the heavy cast iron fry pan and she swung it at her Grandfather's head with all her might, connecting with the side of his skull. There was a flash of bright pink light and she heard a wet cracking sound. The crushing grip on her arm loosened.

Kagome tore her arm away and bolted towards the doorway, shoving her feet haphazardly in her boots. She couldn't look behind her. She felt like she needed to vomit, but self-preservation helped her hold it in, retching as she slammed open the door, ignoring the beauty of the sunset highlighting the sea of green stretched out down the mountainside as far as the eye could see. She had _hit_ him. What if she'd _killed_ him? What if she'd killed her own grandfather?

"Kagomeee-chaan…"

Kagome put down her head and ran, shuddering with horror. Whoever it was in that kitchen, it _wasn't _her Grandfather.

_So, this all began as a very vague idea. Clearwillow on Tumblr needed an art prompt. I suggested a fractured fairy tail. She came back with a Kagome Little Red Riding Hood and Inuyasha the Woodsman. I got inspired to write what I thought would be a one shot (famous last words). Buckle up and enjoy the ride! Also, if you've read this previously there are some slight changes here and there, as I came back to edit a few plot holes. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

Inuyasha ground his teeth as he strode into the forest, his feet dragging as if unwilling to obey his mental command to move away from her. The absolute power in the aura of that woman had drawn him to her; he hadn't been able to resist leaning down close to her neck to take in her scent. He'd had an even harder time backing off. He found her scent enticing, but the reiki curling and crackling around her form had him worried. And she obviously had no fucking idea. An untrained miko with an unknown amount of spiritual energy. This was bad. So fucking bad. With her Grandfather not wanting to listen to reason and upsetting the carefully maintained balance of centuries of work, everything was hanging on a knife edge, and throwing that amount of power into the centre of it was gonna be like letting off an atom bomb.

He doubled back behind the girl, setting off towards the top of the mountain in a zig zagging fashion, trying not to make his ascent obvious. He'd been trying to get close to the shrine for days to get the old man out, whether he was willing or not, but miasma was beginning to surround the shrine, and he hadn't wanted to provoke a full on attack when there was only him there to fight. And now the girl was walking right into it. He'd thought about just grabbing her and running for the road, but he was worried that somehow that would be noticed, drawing unwanted attention to her. He'd considered frightening the girl, not hurting her exactly, but making her run away for her own safety.

And then he'd looked into her eyes and realised that he just couldn't do it. The minute those pale grey eyes had met his, he'd felt it. Higurashi Kagome. It was her that had been meant to come to the shrine, not her grandfather. It was her that had inherited the spiritual energy, and powerfully too. Inuyasha had never felt such a large amount of reiki thrumming just below the surface in such a small body before.

She was the one that he was destined to watch over and protect while she kept the evil at bay. He didn't want to see those eyes wide with fear, afraid of him. Besides, he'd been able to see the pale pink crackling around the edge of her aura beginning to intensify as she got annoyed with him. A reaction to him, or an instinctual protection against the evil on the mountain? He wasn't sure. He would have to wait for nightfall and the cover of darkness – maybe he'd be able to get in and get out fast.

This whole situation was just fucked up. If only Ichiro hadn't died before training his successor to the shrine. Ichiro's powers had become weaker over the last few years, and they'd both known what that meant. The balance of power was shifting - whoever had inherited the shrine's spiritual guardianship would be able to feel their own reiki increasing, even as Ichiro's faded. Inuyasha had tried to reason with him, told him that they needed to find them and have them trained before his powers faded completely, but Ichiro had wanted to wait until he could talk to his brother about it – they were the last survivors of the Higurashi family, both elderly, and he'd wanted them to find the younger successor together. Fat lot of good that did when he'd up and died of a heart attack without warning.

When Ichiro's brother had first arrived from Tokyo, Inuyasha had greeted him respectfully, giving him a few days to settle in before visiting, trying to be understanding of his grief. The old man had invited him in for tea, eager to discuss his grand plans for revitalising the shrine and making it a tourist attraction, and Inuyasha realised with dismay that the old man knew jack shit about what went on up here. His brother had not talked to him about finding the new spiritual guardian. He hadn't warned him that Naraku was real, not just some legend or fairy tale. The history of Midoriko and her self-sacrifice to seal the evil to the mountain shrine had been reduced to a children's bedtime story.

Inuyasha had tried to explain how things were, but it was no use. The old man hadn't been willing to be told what to do; blinded by grief or ambition, Inuyasha wasn't sure. When Inuyasha had angrily tried to make him see sense, he'd slapped an ofuda on him and Inuyasha realised with horror that the reason that Ichiro had never told the old man about the guardians' role at the shrine was because he had no spiritual powers at all. The shrine was now unprotected - without a spiritual guardian and with no one to train them.

For centuries the dual protection of the shrine had secretly kept the area safe; the chosen shrine keeper and inuyoukai acting together as guardians to keep the locals and visitors scared of the mountain and Naraku bound and safely away from society in an isolated area. The keeper of the shrine kept the barrier secure. The inuyoukai acted as a protector, patrolling the perimeter, turning back the curious. Their whole purpose was to keep people away, keep them ignorant, keep them safe.

Inuyasha had been able to feel the growing release of miasma settling over the mountain since Ichiro's death, subtle at first, but now easily detectable by anyone with the skill to do so. Naraku was still tied to the stone anchor on the mountain peak but had been gaining in power without the constant spiritual reinforcement of Midoriko's barrier, and that wasn't something Inuyasha could fix on his own. He'd checked his family records and there had never been a time where a spiritual guardian was not present.

Naraku had only escaped once before, five hundred years ago. A miko called Kikyou had been injured when Naraku had tricked her, gained her trust. His breaching of the barrier had caused an earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands. His ancestor had battled the evil, managing to keep it contained until Kikyou's younger sister, also a priestess, had arrived to assist. After a combined effort they'd managed to seal Naraku again, but at a cost. Kikyou had ended up dying after the battle, Kaede had lost an eye, and his ancestor, also named Inuyasha, had been heartbroken by his failure to protect the miko.

Inuyasha slowed his ascent of the mountain, trying to keep his senses alert for any attack. He was keeping pace with the miko, and they were almost at the shrine. He decided to find a comfortable spot to wait until nightfall, when hopefully he could sneak in under cover of darkness and get them both away from Naraku safely.

Jumping up into a tall tree, he found a comfortable branch that would take his weight and that gave him a good view of the shrine at the summit. He sighed, resting his axe on his knees and letting his thoughts drift as he settled in to keep watch until nightfall, observing the young woman as she walked around the shrine, obviously looking for her grandfather, and then out of his line of vision to the small shrine guardian's house behind it.

Was history about to repeat itself? He'd be damned if he would be the one responsible for letting Naraku escape! He tried to calm his low rumbling growl, keeping his anger in check. His only hope was to get the woman and the old man to safety, explain the situation to them both, and trust to chance that she wasn't a total fool like her grandfather and would be willing to fight alongside him, despite her apparent inexperience. He only hoped that she would believe him. An image of pale grey eyes ringed by sooty lashes pushed away his residual anger, and he shuffled backwards, leaning his head against the rough bark. Such a tiny slip of a thing she was, a whole foot shorter than him, fair skin and pink cheeks that contrasted with her silky blue black hair.

Higurashi Kagome. Kagome. His only hope.

Inuyasha spent the next hour running over the shrine records in his mind, trying to remember anything that would help him remain undetected, but he had to admit, he was out of his depth. His skills lay in protection and attack, not subterfuge. Barriers and concealment were always the job of the spiritual guardian. He sighed, taking note of the longer shadows in the forest around him. There was no help for it. He would just have to wing it. The sun would be setting soon, and it was time to start getting into position. Inuyasha jumped down from the tree, landing almost silently in the soft leaf litter below.

His head shot up as he sensed it, the hairs on the back of his neck raising – there! Surely that had been a flash of reiki coming from up on the mountain! He knew the old man possessed no real spiritual ability at all, so it must be the girl! There was a sound of a door slamming from the shrine – the sharp noise echoing like a gunshot in the stillness of the late afternoon.

"There's no point running little girl. I seeee yooouu."

Fuck. His heart rate increased as adrenaline surged through his body. That didn't sound good. It was the old man's voice, but it sounded distorted, deeper than usual, and it didn't sound like he was playing. He scented the air, turning all his senses towards the shrine.

The girl was running, stumbling and there was a faint scent of blood in the air. With a snarl Inuyasha dashed forwards at full sprint, shoving his axe into the holster behind his back to keep both his hands free. Now he could hear the girl stumbling through the undergrowth, twigs breaking and cracking. Her whimpering pulled at him and he damned his previous decision to wait until nightfall. He wasn't sure if Naraku had somehow broken past the barrier of the stone, but that wasn't gonna stop him from getting to the girl.

She was getting closer, her sobbing ragged breaths sounding loud in the almost silent forest and he leaped forwards, scooping her up into his arms before she even knew he was there. He could have done without the shriek directly into his ear as she realised something had a hold of her, but he couldn't really blame her.

He changed direction abruptly, sprinting back down the mountain towards his cabin. The old man would have to wait.

"Inuyasha-san?" It almost killed him that her voice was so tiny and uncertain.

"Yeah, it's me. I got you. I got you. Hang on, we're gonna be movin' pretty fast." He felt one of her small hands tightening, gathering a handful of his shirt into her fist. Her head tucked down into his chest.

"Grandpa", she sobbed brokenly as they headed back down the steep slope towards the little wooden hut hidden halfway down the mountain. "Grandpa."

'Well, shit', he thought, cradling her tightly to him as he leaped over a small stream and swerved to avoid a low hanging branch. 'Sounds like the whole fucked up situation just got even worse.'

* * *

_Greetings and salutations! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! So, I mentioned Clearwillow. We've been having a back and forth with art and chapters - it's so amazing to receive fanart for something you've written and I squeal like a little girl every time she posts a new one. Go find her on Tumblr - she's done so much amazing art for this fic! This won't be the longest fic - famous last words from me I know - but seeing it's all meant to take place in only one night, surely I won't lose control too much... maybe..._


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome shivered, tears leaving icy trails on her cheeks as they moved swiftly through the forest, the sure-footed youkai hardly making a sound. Not even the combined heat of her red hoodie and the warm solid chest she was held against could chase away the bone chilling terror of what she'd just seen.

She almost giggled hysterically at the absurdity of the situation. It was impossible. How could she reconcile her memories of the traditional but affectionate old man she loved against the horrifying image of her Grandpa's chin and teeth coated in red, slavering over the blood pooled in her palm? And she had _hit_ him. That wet cracking sound replayed itself over and over again in her mind. He was an old man, an elder, meant to be cherished and looked after. Her father's father – the only living link she had left of her father's family. What would her mother say? What would Souta say? How could she ever face them all again?

Ever since she'd arrived at the shrine, her intuition had been going haywire. That small soft voice that lived in the back of her mind had been chanting random words incessantly – _wrong, foul, wicked, malicious, menace_… It hadn't been the first time she'd heard that voice. And after the first time she'd heard it all those years ago, she'd never wanted to hear it again, had always blocked it out with every fibre of her being. Perhaps this one time she should have listened.

They were slowing down. Now that she thought about it, how had Inuyasha-san known that she needed help? Had he known that something was wrong? He had tried to dissuade her from going up to the shrine this afternoon, so maybe he had some sort of suspicions that something was wrong with her Grandfather. But why hadn't he just told her? Had her Grandfather got himself involved in something dangerous?

"How did…", she began, but he hushed her quickly.

"We're nearly there", he whispered, bending his head so his fanged lips were close to her ear – she could feel the warmth of his breath tingling her cold skin. "Wait until we're behind the barrier."

She was ready to argue, but then she saw they were approaching a small single storey wooden cottage. The cottage and the small outhouse beside it looked like an empty ruin. They blended into the forest surroundings so well they were difficult to see, like they were crouched low with their backs to the outside world, propping each other up and hiding from view, and she wondered why they were running to a derelict house. Suddenly she felt a feeling of warmth and light slide over her skin, like a sudden sunbeam, and the house jumped into focus like her vision had previously been blurred. She gasped in surprise.

The cottage and outhouse were partially nestled into the side of a small hill, built on a stacked stone platform. Now that Kagome could see them properly, they no longer looked like a ruin, but old and sturdy, reminding Kagome of pictures of minka farmhouses she'd seen in history books. The wooden walls were silvered with age, and the high pointed roof was traditionally thatched. The eaves of the roof projected down over the timber floored veranda, and any windows were hidden from view, protected by storm shutters.

The youkai placed her on her feet carefully, one arm still gently around her shoulders, as if worried she might collapse without assistance. She tried to stand up straighter, pushing back her shoulders and thrusting out her chin, holding her head high – this might be one of the worst nights of her life, but that didn't mean she was going to collapse in front of a virtual stranger like a puppet with cut strings. He quirked one eyebrow at her, smiling approvingly, and opened the door, guiding her in and immediately shutting it behind her.

Kagome unlaced her boots, wincing and hissing in pain as she flexed her injured palm, and placed them in the little cubby near the door next to Inuyasha's axe and his much larger boots. Straightening up, she gazed around in amazement – the inside of this cottage was not the rugged bare bones that she had expected.

Dark wood floors lined the entrance way, with a small step up to fresh smelling tatami mats. Original farmhouse doors and wooden cupboards lined one end, with intricately decorated paper shoji screens slid back to make the space into one long rectangular room. A huge picture window at the other end framed a view of the mountain peak, barely discernible in the gathering twilight.

Shivering, she turned her back to the window, not wanting to be reminded of the shrine at the moment. She looked upward, entranced by the open thatch of the ceiling, the protected reeds inside a much brighter colour than the ones faded by the elements outdoors. Wood and paper lanterns, decorated by a lattice of delicate kumiko carvings created a cosy atmosphere. Altogether, the feeling in this room was one of comfort and warmth. Of safety.

Inuyasha knelt next to a traditional irori fire pit in the centre of the room – it was lined with stone, and had several cast iron cooking pots stored nearby. A kettle hung over the firepit, swinging gently on a hooked chain suspended from a ceiling beam. He blew on the kindling, encouraging the fire to crackle to life, and filled the kettle with water from a small wooden bucket and ladle.

"Please, Higurashi, sit", he said, gesturing towards a floor cushion near the fire pit. He moved to the other end of the room, looking through the cupboards and returning with a large first aid kit. He sat down on a cushion close to her and sighed, running clawed fingers through his choppy white bangs, avoiding his twitching ears. "I know you have questions. But first, let me look after your injury." He touched the back of her injured hand gently, running his fingers softly over her knuckles. "Show me your hand."

The words jolted her. Looking into his amber eyes she saw concern and compassion. He'd just spoken the exact same words her Grandfather had said to her just half an hour ago. But the difference in tone was so jarring it made tears spring to her eyes. She couldn't stop her lip from trembling. Hastily, she looked up to the ceiling, trying to focus on not letting her tears fall as she struggled to get her emotions under control. This stranger, a youkai that she barely knew, wanted to help. But the person that she'd usually expect to receive loving concern from had attacked her. Her world was turning upside down.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder. "Kagome… I know you're frightened. I don't know exactly what happened up there, but you're not alone in this. I promise, whatever happens, I'll protect you with my life."

The small voice in the back of her mind practically purred, the tone and feel the exact opposite of the shrill sibilant whispers she'd been ignoring. '_Guardian_…' Taking a deep breath, she did her best to smile at him, blinking back tears and holding out her injured hand.

"Inuyasha… I trust you."

The way his furry white ears suddenly pointed straight upwards, paired with the beaming smile he gifted her with in response almost made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

As Inuyasha carefully cleaned and bandaged the bruised cut on her palm, she haltingly told him what had happened. He questioned her closely, asking after every little detail, how her Grandfather had looked when she first saw him, how he'd made her feel, how had the house and shrine seemed. When she falteringly explained how he had licked the blood from her palm and what he had said, he jumped to his feet, growling in fury.

"Fucking dammit! He's found a workaround…"

"What do you mean?" stuttered Kagome. "Grandpa found a workaround? For what?" Kagome's heart beat faster, like it was trying to punch its way out of her chest. Exactly what had her grandfather got himself involved in?

Inuyasha clenched his fists, his eyes pinched shut. Taking a deep breath, he sat down again, close to Kagome, gently taking her bandaged hand in his. "I'm sorry for yelling Kagome. Tell me, did your Grandfather ever speak to you about Naraku?"

"But that's just a story!" sputtered Kagome. "He told me that story at bedtime when I was a child – the one about Midoriko trapping Naraku…"

"Kagome, it's not a story." Inuyasha's mouth was a grim line. "For the past millennia my ancestors and yours have worked together to keep Midoriko's barrier strong. The shrine is his prison, and we are its guardians."

"G…guardians?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yes, a spiritual guardian and a protective guardian. My role as a guardian is to keep people away from the shrine and protect the spiritual guardian. The spiritual guardian keeps away negative energies and strengthens the barrier to keep Naraku imprisoned."

He sighed heavily. "Your Great Uncle Ichiro was the last spiritual guardian. Unfortunately, it seems he didn't pass down the stories and train his successor as he should have before he died, and he's left us a huge fucking mess to clean up. Naraku is a being of pure evil, and he can never be allowed to escape." He drew in a deep breath. "I believe that he's trying to escape the barrier, and he thinks he's found a way out by possessing your Grandfather." The look he gave her was filled with compassion. "Kagome, I'm sorry, I don't know if we'll be able to save him."

Kagome's eyes widened. "You're crazy! You think my Grandfather is possessed… by Naraku?!" She laughed without humour. "This is all just… just make believe and stories." She tugged her hand abruptly out of his grasp and got to her feet. '_Listen… Trust… Believe' _whispered the small voice.

Kagome clenched her fists in sudden rage, pacing around the room as Inuyasha watched. "No! I'm NOT going to listen to him!" she screamed at the voice. "And you say I should trust him and believe him? I've only just met him! The only thing I've ever got from listening to _you_ was heartache!"

Inuyasha drew in an awed breath. "You can hear her can't you. You can hear Midoriko!" He got to his feet, approaching Kagome carefully. "Kagome, think. Do you really believe your Grandfather would ever speak to you that way? Would ever touch you that way? Frighten you?"

Kagome swallowed a sob. "Maybe… maybe he's mentally ill. Maybe being alone up here has got to him."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" said Inuyasha softly. "Please Kagome. That purple and black miasma you saw? That was Naraku. And the pink light? That. That was you. Your power. You're so strong Kagome. You were _born_ for this. And I was born to protect you."

"That can't be true. I don't have any power", begged Kagome, biting her lip to stop it from shaking. "I can't have. I'm a nursing student, who lives in Tokyo. I just moved into an apartment on my own. I work in a coffee shop. I don't… I… I can't…" Her eyes pleaded with him to tell her it was all a big misunderstanding, that none of this had actually happened. But he didn't. '_Be brave Kagome_… _It's going to happen_…' the small voice whispered. And Kagome dropped to her knees and sobbed. "Grandpa."

* * *

_Kagome smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair until it shone. Today was going to be a good day. Her best friend Ayumi was coming over this afternoon, and Papa was coming home early from work to take them to the circus as an early birthday present. She twirled in her new pale blue dress, laughing as the silky fabric swished around her legs._

'It's going to happen…'

_"Huh? Mama, did you call me?" yelled out Kagome, then realised that she hadn't heard the voice with her ears. "Who's talking?"_

'Be brave Kagome – it's going to happen…'

_Kagome shook her head. Her imagination was playing tricks on her again. Sometimes it did that. Sometimes she just knew stuff, like when they played Kagome Kagome, and she knew who was behind her every time. She just couldn't help it. She'd learned to hide it from others, but her family always understood. Especially her Papa. A sudden loud knock on the front door startled her._

_Kagome giggled. "I'll get it Mama", she called out. "Papa probably forgot his keys again!" She skipped to the doorway, her high childish voice singing the familiar song that contained her name. _

'Kagome Kagome, kago no nako no tori wa, itsu itsu de yaru, yoake no ban ni, tsuru to kame to subetta, ushiro no shoumen dare…'

_She stood on her tiptoes to undo the latch. "Hey Papa…" She was surprised to see a policeman and a police lady. "Hello?" she said uncertainly. "Do you want me to go get Mama?"_

_The police lady bent down so that her face was close to Kagome's and smiled. "Yes please."_

_Her mother came into the hallway, waddling a little, her hands resting on her very round pregnant stomach. "Kagome, who…?" She looked at the police in the doorway with their compassion filled expressions and shook her head. "No, please…" Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked at Kagome, down at her stomach, and then back to them. "Please…"_

_"I'm so sorry Mrs Higurashi. Would it be possible for us to come in?"_

_Kagome sat in her bedroom, hugging the soft toy dog that her mother and father had given her last year for her birthday. She tried to ignore the sounds of the police talking to her mother, the sound of her mother crying. There would be no more presents from him ever again. She hated the people in the car that had crashed into him. She hated that she would have to live in a world that he didn't live in anymore. The small voice whispered in her head sadly._

"I'm sorry Kagome. Be brave."

_"I hate you", whispered Kagome, with all the vehemence and vitriol that an almost eight-year-old girl could muster. "I hate you so much. Never speak to me again."_

* * *

Inuyasha pulled the weeping Kagome into his lap, rocking her gently and stroking her hair. "I'm so sorry Kagome", he said gently. "You never should have been told about the guardianship in this way. It is both an honour and a burden, I know. I grew up knowin' what I was destined for. I wish I could give you time, but that's one thing we don't have the luxury of right now."

Kagome buried her face into his neck, her cheek rasping against the stubble, trying to get her breathing under control. Even though everything was falling apart, she trusted him. She knew in her heart that he wasn't lying. She took deep breaths, listening to the soothing rumble in his throat, feeling comforted by the clean scent of soap and cedar. She believed him. But that meant that her whole life was about to irrevocably change. And she would have to face her… whatever that thing was in her Grandfather's body. She leaned into Inuyasha's warmth, trying to gather her courage.

"I don't know if I can do this", she whispered brokenly.

Inuyasha pushed on her shoulders firmly but gently, so she could look into his eyes. Those otherworldly amber eyes, drew her in, tugging on a memory, and she felt it, a connection, a click like two magnets drawn together. _'Guardian…'_ breathed the small soft voice. Her heart beat faster and her eyes widened. It almost felt like Inuyasha had reached out and touched her soul. It felt so _intimate_, almost like they had been locked in a passionate embrace even though they were barely touching. She gasped, her breath leaving her in short pants of heated air.

Inuyasha's voice was firm, his eyes locked on hers, his eyes seeming to glow with an inner light. "I know this seems like too much, but I believe in you Kagome. And I know we've only just met, and everything seems like it will never be right again. But I meant what I said. I promise, I'll protect you with my life."

The gentle touch of his hands on her upper arms felt heated. It steadied her, grounded her. Kagome leaned her weight against his hands, taking comfort in his strength. She couldn't explain it, but this felt right, more right than anything else in her life ever had. She took in a deep breath and breathed out long and slow. She felt acceptance settle into her bones. Staring back at him, she thrust out her chin and squared her shoulders, trying to project a confidence she didn't feel. "Tell me what I must do", she said, trying to keep the quaver out of her voice.

Inuyasha beamed at her, one fang poking out over his lip, his hands gently squeezing her arms. "That's my girl", he rumbled, and for the second time that night, he almost made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

* * *

_Ah, the fluff. It's my bread and butter. I've been forgetting to add the songs that go with each chapter. This one goes with Monster by Imagine Dragons. Let me know what you think of it so far._


	4. Chapter 4

Inuyasha watched Kagome shuffle back to kneel on her cushion, her fists clenching tightly in her lap. His own heart was still beating rather fast, and he tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths. He had _felt_ it, the moment that she had accepted his protection, accepted him, and the moment he had accepted her. They had clicked, like two pieces of puzzle accidentally left in separate boxes, finally reunited to complete a picture.

Even though the brush of her soul against his had lasted only a moment, it had felt fucking _amazing_. He had never felt so incredibly close to anyone before. He wanted to whoop with joy. He wanted to hold her tightly to him and never let her go. He wanted… damn, he needed to shut down those thoughts fast or he was gonna embarrass himself. He took a deep breath and averted his eyes from her for a moment. She didn't need anyone staring at her like that with the day she'd already had, especially some half-breed bastard she'd only just met. He needed to focus. But for the first time in forever he felt like it hadn't been a mistake that he had been chosen.

He knew they didn't have too much time up their sleeve - they needed to get Naraku's nebulous form out of Kagome's grandfather somehow and safely back behind the barrier. But they couldn't just go up there without working out some sort of plan first, despite the danger increasing the longer Naraku was left to his own devices. He didn't even know if Kagome understood anything about the power she possessed. And for her to have any hope of coaxing out that power and using it, he needed to calm her down first. Now that he'd found her, there was no way he was going to lose her due to his own carelessness.

"Would ya like some tea?" he blurted, kicking himself mentally when she startled a little at his abrupt tone. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a guest here at the house; he'd been alone here for so long he'd forgotten any manners drilled into him by his mother as a pup. "Uh, sorry", he apologised with a wry grin, "I don't get many visitors; guess I'm not bein' a very good host."

A small smile ticked up at the corner of Kagome's mouth. "I didn't imagine you would be." When he chuckled at her response, her eyes widened in dismay, and she waved her hands in front of her in consternation. "No sorry, that came out wrong – I meant with everything that's happened, I wasn't thinking about you needing to be polite. I mean, I met you and my expectations…"

"…were low?" he grinned, leaning forward over his crossed legs and rising to his feet in a fluid motion. He walked over to a small wooden cabinet to retrieve a tray holding a teapot, cups and a tea caddy, and sat back down again, obviously amused at Kagome's embarrassment.

"Yes. I mean, no! Will you stop twisting my words!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Don't worry about it woman, I knew what ya meant. And I suppose I should apologise for the attitude I gave ya on the path this afternoon – it's kinda my job to be pushy and rude when people get near the shrine. Although", he grinned as he spooned tea leaves into the pale green tea pot and added hot water from the kettle," I am a hanyou bastard with no manners, so you would a been right either way."

"You're a half-youkai?" asked Kagome interestedly.

"Yeah", replied slowly, turning the teapot to swish the tea leaves. "Got a problem with that?" The cheerful grin dropped from his face, replaced with a carefully blank expression.

Kagome shook her head, frowning. "No. Why should I? I mean, I've only met one half-youkai before, my friend Jinenji, but what does you being a hanyou have to do with anything?"

"It matters to some people", replied Inuyasha shortly. He poured the tea into two matching teacups decorated with delicately painted plum blossoms, and passed one to Kagome. "Careful, it's hot." Her pale slim fingers brushed gently across his much larger ones, squeezing as they held the teacup together.

"Well, I'm not one of those people, okay?" said Kagome softly, looking directly into his eyes.

He examined her carefully. There was no lie in her luminous grey eyes or her scent; she truly believed her statement. He nodded at her, releasing the cup into her hand to pick up his own, and felt a sense of relief spread through his chest, a warm balm soothing over previous hurts. Ichiro had often complained that he had been 'saddled' with a half breed and even though he'd learned to tune out the almost constant digs and insults, they had always rankled.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome carefully sipped the hot green tea, her grey eyes still wide, flicking around the dark corners of the room uneasily. Her fingers were wrapped around the pale green porcelain so tightly he wouldn't be surprised if the cup shattered in her hand. He took another sip of hot tea, stalling as he gathered his scattered thoughts. He was the one that had more knowledge about what was going on, so he needed to focus. But he was having a tough time of it. How the fuck was he gonna get himself and Kagome ready for a confrontation with Naraku as soon as possible when they had never worked together before, and as far as he knew, she had no idea what her abilities were?

"Alright", he said carefully, putting down his teacup and trying to ease into a difficult conversation, "what do you know about being a miko?"

"All the superficial stuff, I guess", replied Kagome hesitantly. "I was really interested in the stories about miko my Grandpa told me when I was younger, and I read all the books I could find." She shrugged. "I know how to dance the Kagura. And I did kyudo in high school for sport."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "Really? You can shoot a bow? Were you any good?"

A pink flush heated Kagome's cheeks, and she looked down at the half empty cup still clenched in her hands. "Maybe. I guess so – I represented the school in a few national tournaments. But that was a few years ago now" she clarified quickly, "I haven't practised for quite a while."

Inuyasha breathed out a sigh of relief. The thought of her getting close to Naraku after the bastard had frightened her so badly was tearing at him, but he hadn't thought there would be any way around it. But if she could do it from a distance, using an arrow… perhaps they really could do this, and both come out of it relatively unscathed.

"What do you know about your powers? Have you ever used them before, like you did with the frypan?"

Kagome shook her head violently. "I… I don't know how I did that. I was so frightened; I was just trying to get away."

"Alright." Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck, his thoughts swirling. "Fuck, how am I gonna explain this?" he muttered, looking down at his empty teacup as he thought aloud. "We don't have time for you to go through all the crap they made me read. And I sorta rushed through all the information to do with your family, cause I had enough trouble getting through my own stuff." He sighed heavily, putting down his cup and looking back to Kagome. "Lemme try and sum up all the technical stuff fast, so we can get to actually doin' shit. Is that okay?"

Kagome nodded jerkily.

His eyes narrowed. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Mm hmm", she said, nodding her head again. But her lips were compressed tightly together, the corners of her mouth turned down, and her fingers were trembling. In fact her whole body was trembling slightly, like a leaf in the breeze, and he could hear her heartbeat escalating, her breaths becoming quicker and more shallow.

"No you're not. C'mere you."

Inuyasha took the teacup out of her hands and hooked one arm around her waist, dragging her off her cushion and over to sit in the hollow of his crossed legs, ignoring her indignant squawk. He pulled her backwards, so her back was to his chest, and her small hands were resting in each of his much larger ones with her palms down. He plonked his chin on her shoulder, so their cheeks were close together, and rubbed his thumbs in slow circles on the backs of her hands. He couldn't help but breathe in a deep calming lungful of her scent before he spoke.

"My role is to protect you, even from yourself", he said gently. "What were you thinkin' about to work yourself up like that Kagome?" He could feel her panicked heartbeat thudding against him, and his protective instincts kicked in. Not understanding exactly why, he rumbled a subsonic purr through his chest, cocooning her tightly within his strong arms.

"I should have listened", she said shakily. "Maybe if I'd listened to the voice, I would have been able to save Grandpa. The voice warned me there was danger, but I ignored it."

"Why did you ignore it Kagome?" he asked softly, his mouth close to the pink shell of her ear.

"Because… because I've always been frightened of it", she whispered. "The first time I heard it, it warned me about my father's death, just before the police came to tell us he'd been killed in a car crash." Inuyasha's rumbling purr increased as he smelt the salt tears forming in Kagome's eyes. "It warned me when Souta got injured at school." Her voice cracked, and she drew in a rasping breath. "Every time something bad happened, that voice was there, whispering in my head."

She swallowed, her shaking fingers clenching tightly around Inuyasha's much larger hands. "And I began to think, wh-what if it was me? What if it was _me_ causing all these things to happen?" Her voice shook. "I'd always been weird, different. I knew things other people didn't know, could sense things. And no matter how much I tried to bury it, tried to ignore it, that voice was _there_."

Inuyasha's rumbling purr became an angry growl, and he squeezed her fingers tightly. "Listen to me Kagome. You are not weird. You are _extraordinary_. Hardly any of the shrine guardians actually hear Midoriko's voice. You didn't make anything happen, Midoriko was just tryin' to warn ya. I've read most of the shrine history scrolls, and she's done that before."

He tried to keep his voice steady and calm, but internally, Inuyasha was seething. Ichiro had a lot to answer for, sitting up there in the shrine with his holier than thou attitude, brushing aside Inuyasha's questions about finding the next guardian. He was pretty sure now that Ichiro had just wanted to hang on to his privileged position in the shrine for as long as he could, because the Higurashi family trust provided everything he needed for very little effort on his part, as long as he remained as guardian. Meanwhile Kagome had been suffering, not knowing what was going on, thinking there was something _wrong _with her.

Kagome hiccupped a shaky laugh. "I don't feel very extraordinary at the moment."

"But that's where you're very wrong Kagome", he said, squeezing his strong arms around her, trying to calm her. "If you'd grown up here, and been taught about your family heritage, you would understand how truly amazing you are."

He could feel her pulse and breathing slowing down – she was responding to his words, his comfort, and an unfamiliar feeling of pride swelled in his chest. He chuckled "I could sense it, ya know, the first time I saw you on the path this afternoon. The pink crackle in your aura. I think your powers were trying to protect you from the miasma on the mountain. Either that, or I pissed ya off so much you were ready to purify me."

He grinned at her shaky giggle. His voice deepened, becoming more serious. "And even if you'd listened this afternoon, I don't think ya would a been able to do much by yourself. I'm pretty sure your Grandpa's been possessed for a while, judging by the dark haze on the mountain. I've been tryin' to get up there for days, but kept getting pushed back. He's probably been tryin' to fight it himself by the sounds of it, but because he doesn't have much spiritual power of his own, he wasn't able to."

Kagome made a small noise of distress at the mention of her Grandpa and he almost whined in response. He could still smell her tears, and his instincts were rushing to the surface, but until they were ready to go after Naraku there was nothing to hit, no-one to punish, and his sense of frustration was building. He needed to move, and just talking wasn't going to get them anywhere, it was just going to make Kagome more and more nervous about their whole situation.

"Alright, change of plan", he announced abruptly. "Let's see how much you remember about shooting a bow." He grinned at the surprised 'eep' Kagome made as he pushed himself to his feet, taking her with him. Grasping her hand, he pulled her over towards the front door to grab his axe, then down to the wooden farmhouse doors at the end of the room, sliding them aside.

Kagome dug her heels in, tugging on his hand. "Wait, wait, wait! I haven't even got a bow! And it's dark outside. You might be able to see in the dark, but I can't!"

"Who said we were goin' outside?" he grinned, pulling her through the doorway. Inuyasha guided her through a bath house with a washing area and a small hot spring encircled by stones, and off to the right, tugging her down a dark passageway.

"Just how big is this place?" she exclaimed. "Are we under the hill now?"

"Yup. Mostly storage space for family records and provisions, but there's a small dojo here too, and I'm pretty sure there's a hankyu bow in there somewhere." His other arm shot out to steady Kagome as she tripped. "Sorry about the dark. It's usually only youkai and half-youkai like me that come back here, so we don't need to light up the hallway." He shouldered open a doorway and then pulled Kagome inside, letting go of her hand.

The room was completely dark to Kagome; she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. "Inuyasha?" she said uncertainly.

"Stay put, I'm gonna turn on the lights. Maybe shut your eyes."

Kagome eyes shut, squinting in readiness for a sudden burst of electrical light from above. She didn't expect a faint 'whuff' sound and a dull blue glow which seemed to be coming from the walls. She carefully opened one eye.

"Kitsunebi!" she exclaimed in surprise.

The small glowing blue orbs of fox fire floated in a long chain around the perimeter of the dojo, illuminating the thin rectangular room. It was mostly bare, apart from a jumble of different weapons stacked and hanging on the wall near the doorway that they'd just come through. Inuyasha was currently sorting through them.

"Yeah", Inuyasha grunted, as he sorted through the jumble of weapons. "There's kitsune illusions all through this place, they were placed on it when it was built – the house probably looked like a dump to you until I took you through the barrier. Aha, knew we had one!" he said triumphantly, holding a red half size bow, along with a quiver of arrows. He carried them over to her.

Kagome slung the quiver over her shoulder. "What am I meant to be shooting at?" she asked, hefting the bow in her hand experimentally. "You?" she said with a small smile.

"Aw, don't be like that", Inuyasha grinned. "At least give me a chance to win you over with my charming personality first." Digging around in amongst the other weapons, he found a canvas target, and jogged down to the far end of the dojo pinning the target to the wall with a couple of daggers. He jogged back to stand behind Kagome. "All right, show me what ya got."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome planted her feet wide. Taking a deep breath, she raised the bow and arrow high above her head, gradually drawing back the string. Then she lowered the bow, slowly taking aim, and loosed the arrow, throwing her arm back in a graceful arc. The arrow hit the target with a loud thwack, dead centre. She was poised, beautiful, elegant… and entirely too slow. If she shot like that when they went up against Naraku, she wouldn't last two minutes. Fuck.

"Uh, that was really good", he said, rubbing the side of his nose, trying to be diplomatic. The last thing he wanted to do was crush her confidence. "But, do ya think you could maybe, aim a little faster?"

"Faster?" said Kagome with a puzzled expression.

Inuyasha gulped a little. Maybe this wasn't going to work. "Yeah. Just a bit."

"Oh, you mean like this?" And she fired another five arrows in quick succession, all close to the centre of the target. The last arrow knocked the first out of its position in the centre of the target and sent it clattering to the floor. Then she turned and winked at him, twirling the bow to her other hand.

"Holy fucking shit balls you're amazing", gasped Inuyasha. Her sudden loud peal of laughter had him beaming. "Okay woman, I guess we've established that you're pretty damn good at this. Now you've gotta try and load them with your spiritual power." Kagome's laughter died away.

"I honestly don't know how I did that before", she sighed. "Can you do it?"

"Yeah", he said, "but I can't show you properly in here, I'll bring the place down."

He flipped his axe around his hand in a figure eight pattern, and it glowed yellow for a brief moment, before transforming into a gigantic battle axe. The axe head was huge, the sharpened blade a semi-circular arc that glinted pale blue in the light of the kitsunebi. It was covered in scrolled carving, with a heart shaped cut out near the handle. A red braided rope hung from the blade, in a loop that wrapped around the long handle. The whole thing was almost as tall as Kagome.

"How… how…?" stuttered Kagome.

"It's a youkai weapon", explained Inuyasha, spinning the axe hand over hand so it looked like a silver blur with a thin streak of red. "When I pour some of my youki into it, it shows it's true form." He tossed it behind his back and up over his shoulder, snatching it out of the air and holding it out in front of him horizontal to the ground. "Besides, it'd look pretty weird if I carried this around with me everywhere." He squeezed the handle tightly, shrinking the weapon back down to regular axe size, and tucking it into the holster behind his back.

"I guess so", she said faintly. "What do you mean when you say you _pour_ youki? How do you do it?"

"I dunno, I just do", he shrugged.

"Not helpful", sniped Kagome.

"Well, I don't know", grunted Inuyasha defensively, his ears lowering a little. "It's instinctive. There's like a warm feeling in my gut, and I yank on it, and it's just there! Besides", he shrugged, "you don't have youki, you'd have reiki, and I don't know if that's the same."

"A warm feeling in my gut, huh?" muttered Kagome. Closing her eyes she drew another arrow, trying to sense anything that might be some hidden power. But there was nothing. Grabbing at straws she muttered, "Okay Midoriko, or whatever your name is, it seems I might have misjudged you. A little inspiration might be helpful right now."

_'Hit the mark'_, whispered the small soft voice, and a warm feeling glowed in the region of Kagome's heart. She flinched, so surprised she nearly dropped the bow. Tightening her grip, she pictured trying to pull on the power with her hands as Inuyasha had described, but it didn't budge. Okay, so maybe it _was_ different. She imagined the power expanding, pushing forward into her hands. The warm feeling travelled up through her shoulder and into the arm drawing back the bow.

"Hit the mark", she whispered, and loosed the arrow. Opening her eyes, she watched as a pink tinged arrow sped towards the target, trailing light behind it like the tail of a phoenix. It hit the target with a bright flash of light, and Kagome and Inuyasha were pushed backwards by a silent concussion that obliterated the target and half the wall behind it.

Kagome blinked from her spreadeagled position against the wall near the doorway, about ten feet away from where she'd been a few moments ago. An anxious face with amber eyes and silver hair appeared in front of hers, the mouth moving, but without sound. She blinked again.

"… to me. Are ya hurt? Kagome!"

She shook her head and sat up and Inuyasha pulled her into a tight hug. "You're okay aren't ya? You didn't hurt yourself anywhere?"

"I don't think so."

She shrieked as Inuyasha picked her up and whirled her around in a circle, laughing crazily. "Ya did it Kagome! That bastard Ichiro never did anything like that. Look at the wall! Holy fucking shit balls!"

Kagome glanced over his shoulder at the mess of broken stone and rubble, and the dirt still spilling into the gaping hole.

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, ducking her head into his shoulder.

"Don't apologise woman!" he crowed. "You're amazing! Kagome, we can win this!" He stopped spinning her and gently put her onto her feet, hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"I did do it, didn't I?" she whispered, smiling. A sudden realisation brought tears to her eyes. "Inuyasha, I'm _meant_ to be this way." She giggled a little. "I've finally found out why I never fit in, why I'm so weird!"

"Not weird", he corrected with a firm expression, wiping away a tear that escaped down her cheek. "We discussed this. I think the word you're looking for is extraordinary. Do ya think you're ready to go kick some Naraku butt?"

She gave him a shaky grin. "Not really, but let's do it anyway. Do we have a plan?"

"Sorta. You shoot an arrow to clear away the miasma. I keep him busy with my axe. We push him outta your Grandpa and back behind Midoriko's barrier and seal it tight."

"How do we push him out?"

"Eh, that bit's a bit fuzzy. We'll have ta wing it", he shrugged. "But the longer we leave it, the stronger he'll get."

Kagome took in a deep breath, and fixed him with a serious gaze. "Do you have any eggs in your fridge?"

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at her. "Nope. Don't even have a fridge."

"I think I saw eggs in Grandpa's fridge", she muttered, then smiled. "I've got an addition to your plan. Kick Naraku's butt, put him behind the barrier, then go to the shrine for breakfast, where I make you pancakes."

"Will there be bacon?" he asked, beaming at her. "You don't know what I'm capable of if there's an offering of bacon on the table."

She shrugged and smiled. "I'm not sure; you'll just have to turn up and find out."

"Butt kicking, then bacon – sounds like the kinda plan I can get behind", he grinned. He watched Kagome's smile waver a little. Inuyasha ran his palms down from her shoulders to squeeze her hands in his. "We can _do_ this Kagome. I know we can. And we'll do everything we can to save your Grandpa. You just gotta trust me. Trust Midoriko. And most importantly, you need to trust yourself."

Kagome smiled at him shakily, tugging him towards the door and back out into the darkened hallway. "Inuyasha, despite my better judgement, I think you're doing it you know."

"Huh?"

"Winning me over with your charming personality."

"Keh."

* * *

_I always wondered why no-one ever got blown backwards by all the powerful attacks they were sending out. Especially when they were learning them. Anyway, thanks for reading - hope you enjoyed this chapter! And go check out Clearwillow on Tumblr - she did quite a few fanart drawings for this chapter!_


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome couldn't stop smiling as they walked away from the dojo and back down the darkened hallway. She was still scared, terrified even, of the confrontation still to come, but suddenly her whole existence made _sense._

She'd made sure to never reveal to her family and friends how utterly disconnected she'd felt from her life in Tokyo. No matter how hard she'd worked, how hard she'd studied, how hard she'd laughed to cover the existence of that small soft voice, she'd always felt that she didn't fit. A weirdly square peg in a teeming city of smooth round holes. The discovery that she made sense here in this place was a little overwhelming, but in a good way.

She tightened her fist around the grip of the bow; it was comforting feeling the roughness against her palm, the weight of the quiver on her shoulders. She had purpose. And discovering it had rather a lot to do with the gruff but good hearted hanyou walking beside her in the darkness. She gave the large calloused hand that was safely leading her through the gloomy hallway a grateful squeeze. Standing beside him felt right. She wasn't alone in this.

A sudden thought occurred to her. "Hey Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"You said before that you grew up knowing what you were destined for. _How_ did you know exactly?" The gloom was lessening, she could just about see his silvery hair now, and she was relieved. She had always been a little afraid of the dark, and it helped to have something to focus on. She could see his pointed ears swivelling back towards the sound of her voice, and she pushed down a sudden urge to reach up and touch them, find out if they were as soft as she hoped they might be.

"My father was a Guardian, so I grew up here in this house. There was no way of escapin' it. And then when I was ten, I was chosen by the Tessaiga", he said, reaching back with his free hand and fondly patting the axe handle near his shoulder. Light from the onsen was filtering down the hallway now, making it easier for her to watch her step, but in the shadows behind his back she saw a pulse of yellow light surrounding the axe, as if in response to his touch. "The Tessaiga originally belonged to the first youkai that battled alongside Midoriko, and it's passed down to each new Guardian to wield after they're chosen. Each generation pours more youki into it – it's sentient to some extent; knows who the best match for it would be. And it chose me."

"Wow!" breathed Kagome. It was so fascinating to learn that outside her regular boring existence in Tokyo there was a place where something this magical continued. Especially now that she had found out that she had some part in it.

"Was there some sort of ceremony when you found out?" she asked eagerly, moving up to walk beside him now that she could see better. She could just picture it; a crowd of Youkai children all reaching out to touch the axe with no response. Then Inuyasha stepping forward to lay a small clawed finger on the handle and emerging triumphant as the axe glowed brightly. Everyone cheering for him, him holding the axe up with those cute puppy ears standing up straight on his head, a proud beaming smile on his face. It made her happy to just think about it. She was surprised to hear his cheerless sigh.

"Not exactly", he shrugged, guiding her past the onsen and back into the main room. "About fifteen years ago, Ichiro and my father were asked to help at another shrine – the Guardian's never usually leave the shrine unprotected, but a dragon youkai clan moved down from Tokyo causing trouble. The bastards thought they could run some sorta yakuza style drug smuggling operation outta the port in Fukuoka, and it would have been bad if it had escalated to include our area. My father and Ichiro didn't want to take the risk of a physical attack on the shrine, in case it released Naraku. There ended up being a massive battle with several shrines involved. My father never came home."

"Oh, Inuyasha", gasped Kagome, squeezing his hand gently, "I'm so sorry!"

"Can't change what happened. He was a great dad, and I missed him for a long while; still do, but I've learned to live with it", he said, shrugging again. "Anyway, Ichiro made it home relatively unscathed; he'd managed to bring the Tessaiga with him. Said that a choice would have ta be made between me and my brother, seeing we were the only ones left from the original youkai blood line. Everyone was expectin' Tessaiga to choose Sesshomaru, me included."

"Why?"

He scratched the back of his head self-consciously. "Well, he's the eldest – he's nearly ten years older than me, and he's full youkai. His mother is an inuyoukai, like my father, and comes from a very influential family in Kyoto with a lot of political clout in youkai society. My mother was human, just a local girl from the village, with no other family of her own. My father fell in love with her and after I was born, they got married. Sesshomaru and his mother had already moved back to Kyoto. They'd been divorced for a while before Dad met my mother."

Inuyasha stooped to tip a ladle of water over the fire pit, dousing the embers. The only light in the room came from the decorated lanterns which hung from brackets in the wall at regular intervals, and the round full moon rising over the mountain, shining through the large window behind them. Inuyasha's hair gleamed like polished silver in the moonlight, and Kagome noticed his amber eyes glowed cat-like in the semi-darkness. She supposed that made sense, seeing he could see well in the dark.

"So Sesshomaru didn't live here with you?" She put down her bow and quiver and picked up the empty teacups and saucers, placing them back on the black enamel tray with the teapot and tea caddy. She followed Inuyasha as he took the tray from her and carried it and the kettle over to a small sink with a hand pump.

"Nope. Just me and my Dad", he said, pumping water into the sink and adding the remainder of the hot water from the kettle and a small squirt of detergent. "Mama died when I was eight, from a fever." He picked up a teacup almost reverently, stroking around the gold rim and over the hand painted image of dainty plum blossoms before he placed it in the hot water along with the other teacup and saucers, washing each carefully.

Kagome swallowed a small noise - she realised with a pang of empathy that the tea set must have belonged to his mother. She had wondered earlier why such an obviously rough and ready outdoorsy type of male should possess such a thing, but now it was perfectly clear. Spying a dish towel on a hook, she took it down and dried each cup carefully after he'd washed them, placing them back on the enamel tray next to the ornate tea caddy. Smiling his thanks, he rinsed the teapot, and passed it to her for drying.

"Sesshomaru only came back from Kyoto because Ichiro called him to let him know about Dad's death. Both a them thought Tessaiga's choice would be a formality - they were pretty pissed when it chose me."

"But why would my Great Uncle be mad if the Tessaiga chose you?" she wondered, placing the dry teapot on the tray. "I mean, you were obviously meant to be the Guardian, right?"

"Uh…" Inuyasha paused, looking sideways at Kagome, who smiled in sudden understanding and patted him on the arm.

"You can say whatever you like about him. I only met him once, when I was much younger, and I didn't like him, not at all." Kagome hung the dish towel back on the hook and crossed her arms, glowering at the memory. "He came to my Father's funeral, tried to get my Grandpa to turn me and my very pregnant mother out of my father's house so it could be sold, seeing my father had left no will. Grandpa refused, and they yelled at each other. I think it caused some sort of rift between them, because Grandpa stayed in Tokyo to help look after us, even though he didn't really like living in the city at all. And Mama told me when I was older that Papa had moved away from Takamori village because he didn't like the way the Higurashi family controlled everything." She startled at Inuyasha's rumbling growl.

"That explains a lot actually. He said he wanted to wait until he'd spoken to your grandfather before finding his successor, but if they weren't talkin' to each other at all… keh! It sounds just like somethin' he'd do. Whenever my Dad wasn't around, he spoke to my mother like dirt. Misogynistic bastard." He growled, pulling the plug to empty the sink. "He never liked me either. Didn't let a day go by without lettin' me know how Sesshomaru would a been a better choice. He didn't like youkai much, but he liked _half-breeds _even less."

His eyes widened suddenly, and he swung around abruptly, turning to face Kagome. "Wait, you said that he came to your father's funeral?" Kagome nodded. "And you said that the first time Midoriko spoke to ya was just _before_ your father died?" Kagome nodded again, and Inuyasha's sudden roar of anger made her jump.

"Fucking bastard!" he yelled. "He would a known! He would a been able to tell that Midoriko had chosen you, and because he was a narrow-minded bigot, he chose to look the other way! You could have been _here_ Kagome, all those years ago!" He paced the length of the room, snarling, clenching and unclenching his fists spasmodically. His voice deepened, his previous pleasant baritone gravel becoming harsh and rasping. "Always knew there was somethin' wrong. I couldn't trust him. We never worked well together; our spiritual energies never blended. And he always said it was cause I was a hanyou, that Tessaiga made a mistake. That _I _was a mistake." He roared his anger towards the window where the shrine on the mountain was just visible in the light of the full moon. "YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD ALREADY BASTARD, OR I'D TEAR YOU APART!"

"Inuyasha?" said Kagome uncertainly. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up in response to the pure rage rolling off him as he paced around the room. She understood why he was so angry. She would be upset too if they didn't have much bigger problems to handle at the moment. She had to try and help him calm down!

"Inuyasha!" As he strode past her, she reached out her hand, tugging on his sleeve, and squeaked in surprise as he flicked his gaze toward her with a snarl, his teeth shutting with a loud snap. The sclera of his eyes was a deep ruby red, and jagged purple marks snaked across his cheeks. He looked savage and wild in his anger, ready to hurt anyone who opposed him.

But instead of doing the obviously rational thing and running away, Kagome threw herself toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burrowing her face into his chest. She could feel the frantic pulse of his heartbeat and the vibration through his chest from his increasingly loud growls of anger. The axe on his back seemed to pulse too, a heavy dominating presence against her own, demanding that she submit and cower. His clawed fingers wrapped around her upper arms with bruising pressure, but she refused to pull away.

"Inuyasha, it's okay!" she shouted, tilting her face to the side, trying to be heard over his anger. "We found each other, and it's all going to be okay. Please, I need you to calm down! I don't know how to do this by myself!" The snarls grew less intense, and the pressure around her arms lessened. She felt Inuyasha's head drop to hers, his cheek resting on her hair, heard him struggle to calm his breathing. She tried to squeeze her arms around him even tighter, rubbing her face against his chest, the buttons on his shirt hard against her cheek.

"It's okay", she repeated softly. We're together now. It's okay." The growling stopped altogether, and his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Sorry", he panted, still trying to calm his breathing. "Sorry you had to see me fly into a battle rage like that Kagome. That should only happen when we're in mortal danger. I lost control a myself. " He rubbed his cheek against her hair, and Kagome made a soothing sound. "Kagome", he sighed wearily, his voice still low and rasping. "It's just, for the last fifteen years I was told that I wasn't enough. I thought there was something _wrong_ with me. And you said before you had felt the same way, that you didn't think you fit. And to find out it was because we were meant to connect and had been deliberately kept apart… I'm so sorry Kagome." His hands moved to rub up and down her upper arms gently. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Kagome looked up and shook her head, relieved to see the anger fading from his face and taking comfort in the warmth of his hands. "There's no need to apologise - I'm glad I could help. You said we're meant to be a team, remember?"

She reached up hesitantly to stroke feather light touches over the fading purple marks on his face, smiling a little as a blush flooded his cheeks to cover the jagged lines. "Inuyasha? I know we haven't known each other for very long, but… before, there was this moment where I felt… like a link… like we… touched…" Her own cheeks flushed, and her expression twisted in frustration, groaning at her inability to put what she felt into words. She pulled her hand from his face to clutch at his shirt, hiding her face in his chest again.

"I felt it too", he said softly, resting his chin on the top of her head. "It was our souls accepting each other as a guardian pair. A bond formed – you accepted me as your protector, and I accepted you as the heir of Midoriko's spiritual power. It don't always happen like that Kagome." A short rumbling growl vibrated against Kagome's chest. "You only gotta look at how well me an Ichiro worked together to see that." He swallowed; Kagome could feel the movement of his Adam's apple near her forehead. "Part of my training was reading the shrine records. They said sometimes, a pair of guardians is reborn, wanting to find each other again. They said it only happens when it was a very strong partnership."

"A partnership?" repeated Kagome, remembering the feeling of intimacy and unable to hide the slight tone of disappointment in her voice.

"Sometimes friendship, sometimes… more", breathed Inuyasha, the blush on his face intensifying.

Kagome tipped back her head and beamed at him, her eyes lighting up, a blush still pinking her own cheeks. Tentatively, she reached out her hand again to stroke his cheek, biting her bottom lip as he leaned his head into her hand, then tilted his head to brush his lips against her palm. Her heart soared, even with her head protesting in the background that she'd only just met the guy.

She looked at him seriously, standing up straighter and dropping her hand. She couldn't let herself get carried away. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself back from him a little, creating some space between them. "But first, Naraku", she said in a very serious voice.

"Of course", agreed Inuyasha, in the same serious tone. And they both walked over to the genkan, Kagome sitting down to put on her boots in a determined way, lacing them tightly, Inuyasha making sure her bow and arrow was secure, ready for the fight to come. He left his own feet bare, and glancing down at his clawed toes she supposed bare feet might suit him better for fighting.

She couldn't help the nervous churning of her stomach at the thought of going back to the shrine. But she also couldn't help the small smiles and glances she continually sent Inuyasha's way. And she couldn't stop her heart beating faster and the swooping feeling of pure joy she felt when he returned each little gaze with a beaming fanged grin.

* * *

_Ah, more fluff. I ended up splitting this chapter - the action comes next, but it would have been way too long if I'd left them together. Please let me know what you think. Song for this chapter is The Last of the Real Ones by Fall Out Boy._


	6. Chapter 6

Kagome clung tightly to Inuyasha's shoulders, the white of her knuckles against his darker shirt barely visible in the velvet shadows under the trees. She could feel firm muscles bunching as he ran through the undergrowth, almost silent on bare feet. The full moon was still rising, and the moonlight reflecting off Inuyasha's pale hair gave it a silvery sheen. She couldn't help but focus on his flicking ears as he took in the sounds around them – the tiny hairs bordering the twitching white points were almost iridescent. Anything to take her mind off her thoughts.

It had been little more than an hour since she'd fled from the terror at the shrine, and now they were running towards it. Her heartbeat escalated, overtaking the almost silent rhythm of Inuyasha's steady footfalls. Her grandfather's usually benign face, twisted. Leering magenta eyes. Blood slimed teeth, grinning with malice. She tensed, trying to suppress the shudder that rolled over her body and scrunched her eyes tight shut as if to block the image out. But it made no difference.

"Oi woman, don't pinch!", griped Inuyasha. He could smell her fear; an acrid stench that burnt in his nose, and he firmed his grip under her bare thighs, squeezing gently. Slowing his pace a little so he could talk to her, he struggled to find the right words to say, to bolster her courage and find out exactly what was wrong. Who was he kidding? This whole situation with her grandfather and Naraku was wrong. He was trying not to think about it too much himself. "Kagome, take a deep breath. I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to ya, okay?"

Kagome leaned her head closer to the side of his, almost resting her chin on his shoulder. It was uncomfortable leaning this close to him while he ran. Even though his pace was smooth, he couldn't minimise the occasional jolt as he landed a little harder after leaping over an obstacle. The wood of her bow dug into her side where she had it balanced over her shoulder, and she could feel the leather covered axe-head of the Tessaiga much closer to her inner thigh than she ever wanted a sharpened blade to be. Yes, it was uncomfortable. But she could also feel his body heat warm against hers, feel the strength of his hands wrapped around her legs; it was uncomfortable but comforting at the same time.

"How can you be so sure?" she whispered.

She saw a quick flash of white fang in the darkness as he glanced back at her. "Cause I'm stubborn that way. I promised I'd protect ya Kagome, and I meant it."

There had been a brief argument before they'd set out – Inuyasha wanting to carry her on his back, and Kagome wanting to walk on her own two feet, thank you very much. It was only when he'd pointed out that he'd been able to locate her in moments as she'd fled the shrine earlier, because she'd sounded as loud as a baby elephant and that was at sunset when there was plenty of light. If they wanted to get as close as possible to Naraku before they were discovered, they had to be quiet. She'd finally agreed, after haughtily pointing out repeatedly that she was 'perfectly capable' and 'didn't need any male to carry her'. He'd grinned at her the whole time she'd been mouthing off about it, which seemed to make her even more irritable; the exasperated noise she'd made could have almost passed as a tiny inuyoukai snarl. It was adorable.

It was true he'd wanted to carry her so they could get close to the shrine quickly and quietly. But that wasn't the only reason. He felt better knowing exactly where she was, safely behind him. His instincts were on high alert. The last thing he wanted to do was take her into danger, having only just found her. And here he was, taking her closer with every step – untried, untested and against a foe that had bested another like her before, a much more experienced miko familiar with both Naraku's history and her own abilities.

His ears swivelled, taking in every sound. The closer they got to the shrine, the quieter it became. The night should be filled with small noises; crickets, frogs, bats, all the small nocturnal animals going about their regular business. But it was quiet as the grave. He didn't like it.

"Kagome, hang on tight."

"Why, what are you…?" She buried her startled squeal into his shoulder as Inuyasha tightened his grip on her thighs and propelled them both upwards into the tree canopy, leaping from treetop to treetop. Her heart was beating so hard she was sure it was about to launch itself out of her chest, and her fingers ached with how hard she was holding on to him.

"A little more warning would be nice, you jerk!" she hissed into his shoulder. She did her best to unclench her fists that were twisted into the soft fabric of his flannel shirt, trying to calm her breathing. Her stomach still felt like they'd left it about three trees back, but it seemed like she wasn't going to die, not yet anyway.

She pried open her eyes hesitantly one by one, trying not to glance downwards to catch a glimpse of the ground far below. A chill wind rushed past them now that they were out in the open, swirling her dark hair around their shoulders as Inuyasha bounded through the treetops gracefully, picking up speed without the hindrance of tree roots and low hanging branches. She could feel movement under her hands, and she realised that his shoulders were shaking.

"Are… are you laughing at me?!" she asked incredulously. She saw the flash of white again as he grinned.

"I know I compared ya to a baby elephant before, but that didn't mean ya had to make a noise like one to prove me right." He sniggered at her annoyed huff and the pinch of her fingers into his shoulders. "Settle down woman. I can see what's goin' on a bit better from up here. And it will be easier for you to shoot your arrows."

He came to a halt on a wide branch high in a giant cedar tree and sniffed the air, growling in disgust. The shrine at the top of the mountain was easily visible now, covered in a light purplish fog, but that wasn't what had drawn his ire. The scent of Naraku's miasma had drifted further down the mountain.

Kagome forced herself not to look downwards – the tree they were currently perched in had to be around two hundred feet tall. If she thought about it too much, she would only panic, so she decided to stop thinking about it altogether. She reached out to trace her fingers over the heavily textured bark of the trunk, then rubbed them against her sleeve with a grimace as she felt a sticky residue on them. It was clinging to her fingers, making her feel uneasy. And it wasn't just the tree bark.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked uncertainly. "The air, it feels…" She couldn't quite explain it – the breeze swirling around them felt oily, clinging, unpleasantly damp against her skin.

"It's been touched by Naraku's miasma", he growled. "Try not to breathe in too much of it. I'll get us a bit closer to the shrine before you shoot to clear a path. I'll stop before it gets too dangerous."

Kagome shifted her weight on Inuyasha's back uneasily. "What happens if we breathe it in? The miasma I mean." For some reason, a growing dread was churning in her gut, making her feel the need to whisper.

"A small amount won't have a long-term effect, although it'll make you feel nauseous. But if you breathe in too much and fall unconscious, and keep breathin' it in… you die."

"Good to know", replied Kagome quietly. She pushed down the panic that wanted to surface, rolling her shoulder to feel the weight of the bow against it. She could do this. Shoot reiki filled arrows to clear a path through the miasma. Support Inuyasha while he fought Naraku back to where they needed to put him back behind the barrier. Strengthen the barrier somehow to keep him there. Her heart stuttered at the magnitude of the task in front of them. She had absolutely no idea how to go about it.

She tried not to think about the fact that Naraku was currently possessing her Grandpa's body. Did that mean she would have to watch Inuyasha hurt him? She didn't know if she could do that. There had to be a way to separate them – there just had to. She didn't know how she was going to achieve that, but she would. Besides, Inuyasha believed in her, and that had to count for something.

"Where exactly is the barrier that Naraku's meant to be behind?" she asked.

"On a path behind the shrine, there's an enormous boulder called Hogeto Rock with a huge hole in it. There's a legend that says the hole was kicked out by the servant priest of Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto, the First Emperor's grandson. That's where Midoriko anchored the barrier."

"So we have to somehow get him to step back into the hole?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "It ain't gonna be easy. I doubt he wants to go back now that he's finally got a taste of freedom again, even though the barrier is still limiting him to the summit of the mountain."

"Has he ever escaped before?"

"…"

"Inuyasha?"

"Yes." Inuyasha's reply was brusque, a tone which didn't invite further questions, but Kagome wasn't giving up just yet. If this had happened previously, and Naraku had been successfully returned to his imprisonment, shouldn't they discuss how it was done?

"How did they do it last time?" She was surprised at the low growl Inuyasha gave in answer. "I take it something bad happened?"

"The miko died Kagome." Inuyasha's answer sounded like it had been dragged out of him unwillingly. "That ain't gonna happen again."

"But how did they…?"

"I'm not tellin' ya how they did it, so stop askin'!" he growled heatedly. His voice softened when he heard her startled gasp, and he squeezed her thighs gently in silent apology for his raised voice. "It was risky and foolish, and caused nothin' but heartache, even if it was successful. We'll come up with our own way Kagome. I've seen how powerful your reiki is, and I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. It won't be easy, but we'll do this together, alright?"

"Alright." Kagome gave in to the temptation she'd felt ever since she'd been boosted onto Inuyasha's back, and tentatively rubbed one of his dog-like ears. "Together."

She couldn't help smiling at the feel of it, despite the danger in front of them; so velvety soft, quivering under her fingers. She scratched her fingernails around the base and gently rubbed upwards towards the pointed tip. A soft rumbling sound echoed through Inuyasha's chest, quickly followed by a terse request for her to stop.

She jerked her hand back and returned it to his shoulder, a shamefaced blush heating her cheeks. "I'm sorry", she whispered, reproaching herself for giving in to her desire to touch him. She'd probably done something incredibly rude and forward.

"Don't apologise", Inuyasha muttered, his recently caressed ear flicking erratically. "I liked it. But… we're a long way up and I don't wanna drop ya." He cleared his throat noisily. "If you wanted to… to try that again, maybe when we were down on solid ground and we weren't about to go into battle against a destructive homicidal demon, I wouldn't say no."

Kagome grinned at him. Even though it was still dark, she could tell that his cheeks were flushed. She was tempted to reach up and give his ear a final tweak, but restrained herself. "So, you…"

The darkness hit them out of nowhere, tangling around Kagome's calf and dragging her sideways. She didn't even have time to scream as she was yanked out of Inuyasha's hold, his claws grasping on empty air as another dark coil wrapped around her waist and had her plummeting out of the tree.

"KAAAGOOOMEEE!"

She saw a yellow flash of brilliance as Inuyasha leaped downwards after her, his snarling face side lit by the glowing Tessaiga clenched in his fist, as he pushed himself from branch to branch, diving in pursuit of her. Kagome scrabbled her hands against whatever was holding her waist, but it had no form, it was like pushing against smoke.

She knew she was falling too fast; the branches dragging against her skin as she dropped hurt like a son of a bitch, but they weren't slowing her down much. Her heart was beating double time in her chest, adrenaline rushing through her veins as she struggled to get free. She didn't know how close she was to the ground, but she was pretty sure when she hit it was going to hurt a lot, if she even survived the fall that is. She could hear Inuyasha's descent through the tree above her, see the determination on his face as he drove himself in pursuit of her like a yellow lightning bolt. The sound of his axe whirled and bit into the wood as he now cleared a path to fall faster through the branches, intense sparks of yellow light showing his position. Was he getting closer or was that wishful thinking on her part? If she could just get herself free, he might be able to grab her before she hit the ground.

The darkness that had previously been contained to a strip around her waist began to expand, drifting downwards over her legs and up over her chest, constricting her like a tight band. It was becoming harder to struggle, more difficult to breathe. She was already becoming light-headed, and she didn't want to know what would happen if that darkness were to cover her face.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to harness the power that Midoriko had helped her find before, channelling it down her arms and into her hands which she held over the darkness around her waist. "Hit the mark", she whispered, opening her eyes only to lock onto Inuyasha's burning amber gaze as he reached out towards her, his fingers almost grazing her arm.

A dazzling flash of intense pink light surrounded her, followed by an ear-splitting inhuman howl that had her gritting her teeth. A moment of sudden terror seized her. What if she'd hurt Inuyasha? Just like she'd hurt Grandpa?

A sudden grab of her upper arm halted her descent. Blinded by the bright light and almost deafened by the noise, Kagome had no idea of what was going on, apart from the sudden agonising pain in her shoulder. She swung in mid-air and was hoisted up, a strong arm catching her around her waist, and she was moving, crushed against a warm chest as they barrelled through the undergrowth.

"Inuyasha?" she whimpered.

"I gotcha." For the first time since she'd met him, his breathing sounded laboured, his chest heaving as he ran. Kagome bit her bottom lip so hard there was a faint taste of blood. The scratches on her legs and face burned, but paled in comparison to her shoulder. It felt like it was ablaze with pain, with pins and needles firing up and down her arm – she'd never dislocated her shoulder before, but she was beginning to think that sudden jerk had pulled her arm out of its socket. Her shoulder just felt agonisingly _wrong_, and if she was going to have any chance of shooting her bow, it was going to have to be put back in place. She was pretty sure she'd read during her nursing studies that putting it back in hurt just as much as the original injury. She knew how to pop a shoulder back in theory, but there was no way she'd be able to do it all by herself.

Inuyasha slowed his pace, concentrating more on silence than speed now he thought they were out of Naraku's range. He hoped so anyway. He'd brought them to a small cave in the rockfall at the base of the cliff below the shrine that he'd found as a young boy. It had been a good hiding place – cool in the summer, with the soothing sound of trickling water coming from the small natural spring towards the back, and protected from the freezing winds in autumn and winter. The opening was just big enough for him to squeeze them both through, and he purposely nudged the loose rocks with his shoulder as they moved in, hiding the entrance even further.

He placed Kagome gently on the sandy floor, propping her up against the cave wall and being very careful not to nudge her injured shoulder. He'd heard the joint pop when he'd made a frantic grab for her barely ten feet above the ground, his sight almost blinded by the combined reaction of his youki and her reiki. If he hadn't, he wasn't entirely sure she would have survived the fall, so he couldn't regret his decision, but this next bit was gonna suck, for him and her both. He was still trying to get his fright back under control; his stomach was churning, thinking about how very close she'd come to dying.

Inuyasha crouched down in front of her, wanting to snarl as he took in her pale pained expression. Thin bloodied scratches sliced across her cheeks, one cutting in very close to her right eye. He'd be able to cleanse them with water from the spring easily, but really, they were nothing compared to her shoulder.

"Inuyasha", she panted, her eyes blinking as she tried to focus on his glowing eyes in the darkness of the cave, "you're gonna have to pop my shoulder in. I'm pretty sure it's dislocated, but I don't think I could do it myself." She shook her head, hissing in pain as the movement jostled her shoulder minutely. "Fuck it hu-urts!"

He cradled her cheeks gently in his large hands, wishing he had the ability to take her pain away instantly, and knowing he was going to have to hurt her even more. "Kagome, look at me." She was panting through her nose as she let the pain take over, almost hyperventilating, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. "I know it hurts, but ya gotta calm down. Deep breaths with me." He breathed in deeply and slowly, modelling a better breathing pattern, and smiled and nodded encouragingly as she began to copy him. He stroked his thumbs gently on her cheeks. "Okay. I heard your shoulder pop, and I know how much it hurts because I've done it to myself a number of times. But the good news is, the quicker we do this, the better it'll feel."

He unzipped Kagome's hoodie, sliding the sleeve off her good arm first, and then slowly and very carefully, tugging it away from her back and down her injured arm. Steeling himself against her whimpers of pain, Inuyasha gently lifted her arm and placed her hand on his shoulder, holding her elbow in place with his left hand to keep her arm still and supported while inspecting the shoulder joint gently with his right. Pushing her wide necked t-shirt to one side, he could see it - the shoulder joint wasn't totally out of the socket, but would still need to be pushed back in. He massaged the stiffening muscles in her neck to try and relax them as they spasmed, her body trying to force the subluxed joint back in place. He sighed. "It's not completely out, but I'm still gonna have ta lift and push to pop it back in. I'm sorry."

Kagome gritted her teeth. "Just do it."

"That's my girl." He locked his eyes on hers, keeping her gaze as he moved his hand down to her upper arm, massaging her bicep, trying to relax the muscle. "On three. One… Two… Three." The satisfying click was almost drowned out by Kagome's agonised scream, followed by a hiccupping sigh of relief as she slumped towards him. Moments later she was scooped up, resting in the warmth of his lap, where he rocked her gently, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry Kagome, I'm so sorry."

Kagome huffed out an incredulous sigh as she leaned into him. "What on earth are you apologising for? You _saved me_ Inuyasha. I knew I wasn't going to survive if I hit the ground. You were right there when I needed you! My only worry was that I hurt you with my reiki – I've got no control over how much I let loose. It's pretty much all or nothing." She tilted her gaze upward, squinting at him. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nope."

She frowned. "How is that even possible? I mean, the light was so bright I couldn't even see you anymore, so it had to have touched you."

"I wanna show you somethin'. Do you trust me Kagome?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Of course I trust you Inuyasha. You just stopped me becoming a human pancake at the bottom of a very tall tree."

"Don't!" Inuyasha snarled. "You almost _died_ Kagome. _I _almost let you die. I didn't even sense Naraku's attack! What if I hadn't caught you in time?"

"But you did catch me in time! Did you know he could grab people like that?" She felt rather than saw Inuyasha shake his head. "Then you didn't do anything wrong okay?" she smiled soothingly. "You can't know everything. It sounds like you're not the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve. But now we know about this one, we can be ready next time – physical attacks won't affect him when he uses shadowy tentacle-like attacks against us, but reiki will."

"How can you be so calm about this?" muttered Inuyasha, stroking her hair.

"Because…", said Kagome with a small hiccup, burying her face into his chest, "I really wanna cry, but if I _do_ cry, I might not be able to go back out there." Her voice sounded muffled, directed into his flannel shirt, but he could still hear her clearly. "So I'm planning on saving all my tears until the end, and then you can hug me. You're very good at hugs you know."

Inuyasha squeezed his arms around her. "That's surprising, seeing how out of practice I am." He let out a slow breath, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I am so proud of you, you know. You didn't freeze up even while you were falling out of a two-hundred-foot tree. You're amazing."

Kagome squirmed a little at the praise, feeling warmed and embarrassed by it at the same time, turning her face to rest her cheek against his chest. "I didn't have time to be afraid. Besides, I could see you coming for me, and you had this snarly determined face on – you said that you wouldn't let anything happen to me Inuyasha; you promised me, and I believed you." She gave a small smile at his sudden hitched breath, but didn't draw attention to it. "What did you want to show me?"

"Hold out your hand like this", he said, holding his palm towards her with clawed fingers pointing towards the roof of the cave.

"Boring human eyes can't see in the dark, remember?"

"Oh, sorry. Here." He placed his palm against hers, marvelling at how much smaller and paler her hand was compared to his, then pulled a small amount of his youki to dance around his fingertips. Almost instantly, a pink glow surrounded her own fingers. He entwined their fingers together. "See? You can't hurt me, and I can't hurt you. Pretty neat, huh?"

Kagome's eyes were rounded in surprise as she watched the crackle of energy surrounding their clasped hands, the yellow and pink mirroring each other exactly, as bright as sparklers in the darkness. Her fingers felt warm and tingly, and she let out a surprised giggle. "Did you know this would happen? For a moment, when I couldn't see after I'd pushed the reiki out through my fingers, and there was that godawful howl, I thought I'd…"

"Nope, not me", he said cheerfully, "definitely Naraku. You were pretty kickass Kagome." He rubbed his other hand gently over her upper arm, frowning at the large bruise developing where he'd grabbed to stop her downward plunge towards the ground. He wanted to internally berate himself again, but decided to mostly let it go for now, conceding that bruised was better than dead. "When you let out that huge burst to burn Naraku's darkness away just as I leaped towards you, my youki shielded me. It's not something I did consciously either, it just happened. It makes sense though, for us not to be able to hurt each other."

He slowly pulled his fingers away, drawing his energy back in, and the pink glow surrounding Kagome's slim fingers disappeared also. She smiled up at him, loving the way his amber eyes glowed slightly in the darkness of the cave. Just when this day didn't seem like it could get any stranger… absolutely nothing would surprise her after this.

* * *

_Nothing will surprise me either Kagome. This chapter was meant to be the BIG FIGHT chapter, but your boy decided to rescue you from danger and drag you off to a cave that he just happened to know about. That wasn't in the plan Inuyasha! I swear, I no longer have any control. So, looks like the final face off with Naraku is still to come. But I wonder what's happening with poor ol' Grandpa while these lovebirds are getting acquainted? And thanks for all your lovely reviews! Mwah!_


	7. Chapter 7

_We're taking a break from our romantic duo for a short interlude with Grandpa. Remember, this is meant to be a twisted fairy tale, so Grandpa is not having a good time of it. Don't blame me, blame Naraku. Evil git._

_**WARNING:** This short chapter contains a mention of **suicidal thoughts**, so if this is triggering for you **PLEASE** don't read it. It's not entirely necessary to read this part to understand the story as a whole - look after yourself, you know what is best for you. _

_Grandpa's prayer is taken from 'Shinto Norito: A Book of Prayers' by Ann Llewellyn Evans._

* * *

_The older man had smiled in satisfaction. The shrine was beautiful, everything he'd imagined it to be. The mountain air was crisp and clear, the magnificence of the ancient cedar trees towering over the stone steps, and the many lanterns lining the pathway filled his heart with delight. The steep climb was tiring to a man of his age, but he did not mind. It was good to be back, after all this time. This was a place where he could gladly live out his final years in peace, show his dedication to his family heritage. He didn't miss the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, just the family he'd left behind. But perhaps they would come to visit. It would do them good to breathe the mountain air and slow down for a while._

_He settled into the little house easily – it had everything that he could ever want, along with a small vegetable garden in the open space behind it, before the ground dropped away, ending in a sudden cliff. He'd spoken with the woman at the base of the mountain, and apparently, he could phone the small supermarket in the village and have anything he needed delivered on a monthly basis. He'd laughed at her warnings of evil, even as he'd accepted her gift of an omamori against harm. How on earth could a shrine be evil – the woman was obviously eccentric._

_The day after he'd arrived, he'd walked around the paths surrounding the shrine, eager to get to know his surroundings so he could guide and inform visitors about the surrounding beauty. The area was charming. The ancient Nagi tree in the temple grounds, festooned with a huge shimenawa rope and shide paper tassels filled him with awe, and he was proud to be the caretaker of such an ancient specimen._

_The only place had made him feel uneasy was the towering black volcanic rock behind the shrine, almost hidden in a circle of tall trees. The middle of the rock had a huge hole worn by the wind, as tall as a man, and the sound the air made as it pushed through the rock was mournful. The wind felt colder as he left the path to take a closer look at the stone, and a shiver rattled his old bones. _

_If you used your imagination, you could almost hear words in that desolate sound – it was a good thing that he wasn't prone to believing in such nonsense. But for some reason, he was drawn to place his hand on the rock, as if to console it in its loneliness. The biting cold of the stone against his palm made him jump back. His hand felt almost numb, even from such a brief moment of contact. But it wasn't surprising really – a massive stone in such a shaded area probably never heated up._

_And then a few days later that youkai boy had come to visit, spouting nonsensical tales about Naraku. Ridiculous. As if such a thing were possible. He'd grown up in the area, he'd lived at the family shrine in the village; he'd heard all the stories about Naraku, and if there had been absolutely anything truthful in that story, his brother would have told him. His older brother had been so proud to be selected to carry on the tradition of looking after the mountain shrine. It was an honour, an honour that he would uphold and maintain, and that hanyou was obviously insane. He was glad he'd seen him off the shrine grounds. It was no wonder he lived by himself in the forest. He would have to keep an eye on him._

_He'd begun to settle in. At first, he had put down his vague feelings of disquiet down to the stress of grief. Even though he and his brother hadn't been on speaking terms for years, that didn't mean that he didn't love him, didn't feel sad that he was no longer in this world. He was now the only surviving member of the Higurashi family line, apart from his grandchildren, and that… hurt. So when he started losing moments, little spots of time as he walked around the shrine, he put it down to stress; the stress of grief, the stress of moving, the stress of living in a new home alone after living with others for so long._

_The nightmares, they were probably due to stress too. Dreams of an endless dark void, dreams of calamity where he watched the world burn around him, dreams that had him screaming himself awake, shaking and shivering, covered in sweat. All due to stress._

_Then he started sleepwalking. Also obviously due to stress. Although that worried him a little. He was an old man now – waking up at the edge of the cliff behind the shrine cottage was honestly a little scary. But he didn't want to worry anyone. If he called his daughter-in-law, she would only panic and waste precious time coming to visit. She had worked very hard to get where she was after his son's death, and even though Kagome had recently moved out, there was Souta to consider. It was probably nothing. He just needed to drink more water, eat more vegetables. He would start taking a sip of vinegar with his meals. Perhaps the next time he visited the village he would purchase a health tonic from the pharmacy._

_Weeks passed. There were no visitors to the shrine, so he passed his days in solitude, keeping the shrine grounds tidy, praying, tending to the garden. His eyes ached from lack of sleep, but he was sure it would all settle in time. Nothing he couldn't handle by himself. He was a Higurashi, after all._

_But then the whispers started. Thoughts that he would never have, disturbing thoughts, about causing harm to others. He wondered uneasily about Alzheimer's. It was getting difficult to keep up with things - he was not a messy person by nature, but it was all he could do to take care of his basic needs. Perhaps he should call someone?_

_And then the voice started speaking to him – a cruel voice, heartless, dominating. When the voice was speaking, it almost split his skull, the pain in his head was so bad. He was terrified that perhaps he had gone insane. The voice laughed at him, mocking his anguish._

_His daughter-in-law called, as she had done every Sunday, and it was all he could do to try and keep up his side of the conversation. He couldn't worry her. He had to keep it together. She wanted to come visit him, check on him. But he dissuaded her. She wanted to send his beautiful granddaughter, but he talked her out of that too. He didn't want anyone he loved near the shrine. Because something… something was definitely not right._

_He was tidying in the storeroom at the back of the shrine, trying to keep his mind off the voice, when he came across the box of scrolls. Some of them ancient and brittle, others more recent. All of them. Every single one spoke of Naraku, and he realised with horror that the hanyou boy had spoken the truth. He had to find him, work with him, find out what to do. But to his dismay, he realised that he couldn't leave the shrine. It was like there was an invisible barrier closing him in, closing them both in. The barrier that had been maintained to protect the world from Naraku now affected him too, because Naraku was _in him_. With terror, he realised that he would have to face this alone._

_He stayed up all night, reading the scrolls. He'd realised that he felt more himself the closer he got to the ancient Nagi tree, so he'd carried the scrolls with him, along with a lantern, sitting with his back against the ancient tree, cradled in its roots. By morning, he'd come to a decision. He'd lived a very full life. This demon, this evil, was currently residing in his body, his very human body. If he destroyed the body, perhaps it would destroy the demon too._

_After putting the scrolls back where he had found them, he meditated at the shrine for a few hours, trying to find his courage. He concentrated on thoughts of his wife, who had died nearly twenty years ago. He hoped she would be there to greet him in the afterlife. He had missed her so very much. By the afternoon, he was ready, determined to do what was necessary. He went through the medicine cabinet, but he didn't have anything that would do the job. He could try taking all the painkillers he had, but he didn't think that would act quickly enough. His thoughts quailed a little at having to kill himself with a knife. He'd never been a big fan of blood, but if that is what it took to defend others against this evil, he would do it._

_He marched into the kitchen, sorting through the cutlery drawers hurriedly, then seizing the carving knife from the knife block on the bench, clenching it in his shaking fist. His only regret was that he was unable to say goodbye to his daughter-in-law, his granddaughter, his grandson. He loved them dearly, and hoped against hope it would not be one of them that would find his dead body. But there was nothing for it. He closed his eyes, held the knife, ready to cut his own throat._

_But then a force seized his muscles, tore away his control, jerked his hand and he dropped the knife. It was agonising. He screamed, did his best to find some other way to injure himself, crashing his body around the kitchen. He had to do it, before this creature could escape and harm others. Barely holding on by a thread he stumbled through the back door. The cliff was nearby. If he threw himself off, surely, he would not survive. Then everyone would be saved, and his stupidity in not believing the boy would not be held against him by the Kami._

_He chanted a purification prayer as he staggered towards the cliff, every step more excruciating than the next, and he couldn't help the tears that poured down his weathered cheeks._

Live in harmony with the way of great nature,

Moving with its changes

Tõ kami

Emi tame

North, northeast, east, southeast

South, southwest, west, northwest –

From all corners of the universe

Kan gon shin

Son rikon da ken

Take away all impurities of myself,

My home, and the world.

Harahi tamae

Kiyome de tamõ

_He could see the cliff ahead, just a few more steps and it would be all over. _

_And then it went dark._


	8. Chapter 8

"Inuyasha, stop fussing, okay?"

Kagome tried rolling her injured shoulder, and then wished she hadn't. She couldn't hide the breathed hiss of pain as she raised her arm to ease her sleeve back up. It was true that Inuyasha had successfully popped her shoulder joint back in place, but it was bruised and there was probably some damage to the surrounding muscles and tendons. She mentally went through the nursing protocols for a shoulder dislocation and huffed out a sigh – reduction, pain medication, immobilisation of shoulder with a sling for two to three weeks and physical therapy. Yeah right.

"Fuck." Inuyasha growled, watching her flinch. Kagome could barely lift her arm – how on earth was she gonna be able to shoot her bow? Thankfully the bow and quiver had fallen with her, held tightly against her body by Naraku's black youki tentacles. Some arrows had fallen out of the quiver, but there were still a good many left – roughly thirty Inuyasha guessed. He hoped it would be enough. But that was a moot point if Kagome couldn't even shoot them.

"Wait, I got an idea", he said, tugging the red hoodie back away from her shoulder. Yellow youki sparked around his fingertips as he placed his hand gently against her bruised skin.

"What are you…?" she began, then jumped in surprise as her shoulder tingled. "Wow, you can heal injuries?!"

"Nuh uh", he grinned. His yellow eyes shone with amusement and relief in the darkness of the cave. "But _you_ can."

Squinting down at her shoulder, Kagome almost yelped. Soft pink light flooded under the arcing yellow youki at Inuyasha's fingertips. Her shoulder felt comfortably warm, as if it were heating from the inside. "What?'

"Reiki is healing. I'm just givin' it a little nudge in the right direction." He pulled his fingers away, and the pink light faded. "Did it help any?" Kagome tentatively rolled her shoulder again. It still ached, but felt more like pulled muscles after heavy lifting rather than the painful throb from before.

"Much better", she sighed, dragging her sleeve up over her shoulder again. She shivered a little. The cave was dark and cold. She didn't really want to be in here anymore, but the alternative wasn't very tempting either.

"So", she huffed. "how are we going to do this? He obviously knows we're coming now."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Plan hasn't really changed. You shoot some arrows. I beat his ass. We shove him in behind the barrier again and eat bacon for breakfast."

"Still a little short on details there, Inuyasha", she snorted.

"Hey, I never said I was a details kinda guy. I have a big axe and I hit things with it. That's my thing."

"Yeah, well my thing is knowing what the hell I'm doing!" Kagome snorted exasperatedly. "Where is the barrier exactly?"

"Between the house and the cliff, there's a stand of tall trees. That's where the rock is. The barrier itself is only paper thin, stretched out over the opening in the rock. It's attuned to Naraku's soul – all we have to do is push him through it, and he'll be trapped again."

Kagome frowned. That sounded too simplistic. There had to be more to it than that. She bit her lip, then sighed. "Look, I know you don't want to talk about it, but how did they succeed in getting him back through the barrier the last time he escaped?"

Inuyasha growled lowly and Kagome wanted to shake him in frustration. "Inuyasha, this isn't fair. I have very little information to go on here, and yet you're expecting me to somehow do something miraculous with a skill I didn't even know I had twenty four hours ago." She felt rather than saw Inuyasha turn his head away from her, and she reached out her hand to place on his chest, feeling his heart thudding comfortingly against the heel of her hand. She didn't like the dark, but with him here, it didn't seem to press in around her so closely. "Please?"

"She allowed Naraku to possess her", he answered flatly.

Kagome gasped. "What?! Why would…?"

"Hell if I know. He had tricked her before – maybe she thought she could reason with him. But all that did was trap her. Her guardian couldn't fight Naraku anymore because he didn't want to injure her. Naraku took control of her body, and she started firing arrows at him; all he could do was block her attacks. It was only when her sister Kaede arrived at the shrine that they were able to push her through the opening of the barrier and seal Naraku inside. Kikyou's body passed through, but it was too late."

"So, falling through the barrier killed her?" asked Kagome hesitantly.

She felt Inuyasha's shoulder's shrug. "Not exactly. Her body was still alive, but she never fully regained consciousness – her eyes were open and stuff, but she didn't respond to anyone, couldn't do anything for herself."

Kagome made a sympathetic noise. "So she must have slipped into a coma – a vegetative state."

Inuyasha shifted uneasily, obviously uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. "Her Guardian looked after her, tending to her every need and hoping that she would recover, but she never did. Her body eventually wasted away, and she died. I guess it was the shock of being possessed that put her into a coma – considering it was five hundred years ago, it's amazing she lasted as long as she did."

"He must have been very devoted to her", said Kagome softly. She could hear the unease in his voice, and feel the stiffness in his posture, even if she couldn't see him very well.

"After she died, Kaede was confirmed as a permanent Shrine Guardian, and Inuyasha chose his successor. He left the shrine – no one knows what became of him after that."

"He was called Inuyasha too?" Inuyasha shrugged again.

"That's what the shrine records say."

Kagome sighed, her mind examining the possibilities. "What if…"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say Inuyasha!" Kagome huffed.

"You don't go _near_ him. Do you hear me? You stay back and shoot from the rear. I'm not gonna let him touch you again", he growled. "He's already injured you twice Kagome, and that's two times too many." He placed his hand over the top of hers, still resting on his chest. "You don't seem to understand – Naraku isn't just a youkai; no one is exactly certain what he is. He doesn't have a body of his own, but once he's at full power and away from the shrine, the damage he can cause is phenomenal. He was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people last time."

"Then we should consider every possibility!"

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "If I had my way, you'd be staying right here, and I'd face him alone! I just found you for fucks sake! This isn't an option to consider Kagome!" She leaned forward to rest her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, trying to calm him.

"Alright then. So what _are_ we going to do?"

* * *

Kagome moulded herself against Inuyasha's back as he climbed the cliff behind the shrine, her fingers twisted into his flannel shirt, and legs hooked around his hips so that he had his arms free for climbing. The covered blade of the untransformed Tessaiga was digging into her thigh, but there was no way she was going to loosen her hold on him; in fact she was struggling not to cling on tighter. She figured squeezing him to the point that he was unable to breathe while climbing would probably be a bad thing for both of them.

She didn't look up because she didn't want to get dust or dirt in her eyes, and she definitely didn't look down. She'd already survived a fall once tonight, and she didn't want to think about the possibility of falling again. Was this tempting fate?

She kept her eyes trained on the back of Inuyasha's neck, watching the cords of muscle bunch and stretch under tan skin as he reached with certainty for handholds in the rock that she couldn't see with her weaker human eyesight. This sucked. Why did they have to do this in the dark? Why couldn't they be fighting evil in the daylight?

"You okay?" whispered Inuyasha.

"Yeah", she breathed, doing her best to sound confident.

"Are you sure? I can feel how hard your heart's beating."

Kagome wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "Well, it's been quite a busy day you know, and it's getting close to bedtime. Any chance we could reschedule and do this tomorrow?"

Inuyasha chuckled dryly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say", whispered Kagome.

"We're nearly at the top. No matter what happens, I want you to stay back okay? Shoot your charged arrows at any youki and miasma, I'll take care of the rest."

"Okay."

They were silent as Inuyasha climbed the last few feet. He paused with his head just below the edge of the cliff.

"You ready Kagome?"

"No", she said shakily, "but let's do this anyway." She leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the cheek, nuzzling momentarily against the rough stubble peppering his chin. She was tempted to reach up and tug on one of his soft ears instead, but she restrained herself – now was not the time. "Good luck." His teeth flashed white in the darkness.

"Let's fucking end this."

Inuyasha launched himself upwards over the top of the cliff face, landing softly on all fours so Kagome could slide easily off his back. There was no movement anywhere, apart from the sound of the wind rushing through the trees, and a faint rattling clang from the suzu bells near the entrance to the shrine. Kagome could see Inuyasha's ears rotating as he strained to pick up any sound that might give away Naraku's location.

"Where's the miasma?" muttered Inuyasha, and Kagome realised with a start that the dark purplish haze that had previously covered the shrine was gone. Was it possible that he'd already escaped off the mountain and they'd have to track him elsewhere?

A warm yellow light appeared in the little caretaker's cottage, spilling out into the darkness through the open back door that swung lazily in the breeze. Inuyasha's eyes flicked towards hers questioningly.

"That's coming from the kitchen", she murmured. "He's in the house? What's he doing in there?"

Inuyasha shrugged and they crept forward, Kagome slinging her bow off her shoulder and Inuyasha releasing Tessaiga from its holster on his back.

"Can you hear what he's up to?" Kagome whispered. Inuyasha shook his head, moving silently forward.

"I don't like it. Our weapons are better suited to a fight out in the open; he probably knows that", he growled. He shifted uneasily, keeping his weight on the balls of his bare feet.

"Do you think it's a trap?" said Kagome, her voice shaking a little. They were almost at the door of the little house now, close enough for Kagome to hear the opening and closing of cupboard doors, and the sound of the kettle on the gas stove. Kagome reached backward to snag an arrow out of her quiver and gripped it in her fist like a dagger – she couldn't shoot at close range effectively, but she could still charge an arrow and stab with it. Inuyasha nodded approvingly, stepping in front of her.

"I want you to stay out here."

"No!", she hissed. "You saw what happened back at the tree – my reiki hurt him; I have to come too!"

Inuyasha glared at her, ready to argue, when Kagome heard her grandfather's voice call out from the house.

"Come in, both of you, I've been waiting."

"Stay Kagome, it's bound to be a fuckin' trap!"

Kagome shook her head and strode forwards. She had screwed up her courage now, and she was going to see this through. They arrived at the back door together, Inuyasha pushing her behind him protectively as they moved into the kitchen through the open door.

"Good evening little Miko. Would you like some tea?" His voice was conversational and pleasant, seemingly unconcerned by their presence behind him as he concentrated on turning off the heat on the stove. Inuyasha's subsonic growl didn't seem to concern him either. "No? I take it you won't mind if I partake in a cup?"

Kagome shuddered, watching the body of her Grandfather making tea in his kitchen. It looked so normal, so every day, a scene she'd seen countless times over the years. Her gut twisted, knowing at the same time that it was _not_ her Grandfather and there was absolutely nothing normal about this situation. She tried not to think about what had happened in this kitchen only this afternoon, praying that her grandfather was still alive somehow, and that Naraku wasn't just wearing his body like an empty suit. She startled as he spoke again.

"I must apologise little Miko – my appetite quite overcame my manners at our last meeting in this kitchen. It's a little overwhelming you see, being back in a body after all this time." They watched silently as he poured hot water from the kettle into a teapot, turning it around on the countertop to allow the leaves to steep.

"I'm afraid most humans and youkai don't seem to fully appreciate the pleasure that having a body affords", mused Naraku with his borrowed voice. He swirled the spoon in the teacup, tapping the china rim and smiling with stolen lips at the tinkling ring of metal on china. "Take your Grandfather for instance", he said, gesturing towards himself. "His body may be older, but there are still a lot of simple pleasures to be enjoyed."

He turned towards Kagome, and she nearly gagged at the swelling blackened bruise covering her Grandfather's cheekbone and eye socket – one that she must have caused when she had hit him with the frying pan. "A nice cup of tea for instance. It really hits the spot at the end of the day, don't you agree?"

He sat down at the table and sipped his tea, staring at Kagome over the rim of the cup with blazing red eyes, ignoring Inuyasha's presence entirely. "I guess you wouldn't understand the weight of aging though, little baby Miko." She shuddered at the way he drew out the vowel sound in baby, making the innocuous word sound obscene. "Still so innocent and pure. A kind little baby. Your grandfather loves that about you – he's very proud of you. It's a shame really", he sighed, putting down the teacup. "All this excitement really isn't good for an old man's heart. I really don't know how much longer he'll last." He grinned at the tiny whimper that escaped Kagome's lips.

"Shut the fuck up", growled Inuyasha. "Don't taunt her about her grandfather – he's already dead, and you know it."

Naraku turned his head slowly, fixing Inuyasha with an icy stare. "I wasn't talking to _you_, dog. Not even a pure bred inuyoukai, just a half-breed mutt. Know your place, and speak when spoken to."

He turned to face Kagome again, who's expression was now furious.

"Don't speak to Inuyasha that way!" she ground out through clenched teeth. The arrowhead in her fist glowed pink with power.

"Ah, you Miko, all so defensive about your little pets", sneered Naraku condescendingly. "I was going to offer to let you speak to your grandfather for a moment, but if you're not interested…"

Kagome's eyes widened, her eyes filling with sudden tears and Naraku bared his teeth at her in an approximation of a leering grin. The redness faded from his eyes and was replaced with pained brown.

"Kagome…", he rasped. Kagome stepped forward and Grandpa held up his hands. "No, stay back. Don't get close."

He turned his head to Inuyasha. "I'm sorry son, I should have listened to you. I tried to take him over the cliff with me, but I wasn't strong… enough." Grandpa's breath wheezed out harshly – he was obviously in a lot of pain. "Do whatever… you need to do to finish the job." Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and then nodded determinedly, clenching his fist on the wooden shaft of his axe, and straightening before offering the old man a deep bow of respect.

Hearing Kagome sob, Grandpa turned his face back towards her, his gaze softening. "Darling girl, it's okay. I've lived a long and happy life. It will all be fine, Kagome. Truly. Tell your mother and Souta…", the kind brown eyes disappeared and were replaced jarringly with gloating red, "that they'll never see me again."

At the sound of Kagome's startled whimper, Inuyasha transformed his Tessaiga with an angry clench of his fist, the pulse of yellow youki illuminating the dim kitchen like a sudden burst of sunlight from behind a dark cloud.

"Get your filthy eyes off her", roared Inuyasha. "Your fight is with me!" He swept the long handled axe in a dreadful arc, pushing out a wave of youki towards Naraku. The sound of splintering wood and shattering crockery filled the air. Naraku pushed himself aside using a long tentacle of shadow, avoiding the pulse of youki. Another tentacle shattered the window and half the wall behind Kagome's head. She shrieked, ducking to avoid the flying glass, eyes still blinded by tears. Her reiki charged arrow barely grazed him as he vaulted through the falling glass.

Inuyasha leapt after him, and Kagome circled back to leave through the open doorway, nocking her arrow, ready to aim. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears, and she blinked them away, gritting her teeth. She loved her grandfather, but she could weep for him later. Now was not the time. She tried to focus her aim, keeping her bow string taught, but the two fighting in front of her were moving at blurring speed.

In the darkness the Tessaiga glowed neon yellow, whirling in great arcs as Inuyasha fought back against the tentacles of shadow speeding towards him. He spun the axe hand over hand, then let it swing out to its full extension, sending out a wave of yellow light that sizzled, distorting the air around it with heat haze. Naraku knocked it aside with an arm of shadow. Inuyasha used the long handled axe to vault over Naraku's head, then swept the axe down low, causing Naraku to fall back before him. A long tentacle grazed Inuyasha's shoulder, putting him off balance momentarily. They circled each other, seemingly evenly matched for the moment, each looking for an opening against the other.

Kagome watched as her grandfather's body seemed to suddenly float in mid-air, towering over Inuyasha, and she realised that Naraku was balanced on tentacles to raise himself above the ground. Right. Here was something she could do – remove the height advantage.

Kagome charged her arrow quickly, knowing she'd only get one shot before giving away her position, then let it fly. She didn't wait to watch the pink tail of light behind it, but sprinted towards Inuyasha, hoping to get behind him. A scream of rage and a foul stench followed her, and she grinned in triumph even as she ran. Gotcha, you bastard!

She skidded to a halt a good way behind Inuyasha and the whirling circle of his axe, taking up her aim again. Naraku was now on the ground, having the tentacles beneath him burned away. The smell was horrific, but she concentrated on the task at hand, aiming towards the tentacle protruding from his left shoulder, where it was thickest. She got ready to loose her arrow, but the pink glow gave away her position and a shadowed tentacle shot towards her.

She didn't even have time to scream before Inuyasha threw his body in front of hers, the tentacle piercing through his shoulder. She screamed as he staggered when the tentacle was yanked roughly backwards.

"Keep shooting", he gasped, leaning on his axe for a moment before he was up again, swinging around to face Naraku once more.

Her heart in her mouth, Kagome continued to loose her arrows at Naraku. They were hurting him, the stench of burning youki flaring in her nostrils like sulphur, but the tentacles were quickly replaced, reforming as quickly as she could shoot them away. Inuyasha continued to keep up his attack, ducking and diving, spinning and whirling his axe so that yellow youki arced towards Naraku, pushing him back. They had driven Naraku past the house, and the ring of tall trees was in sight.

But they were both tiring, panting and exhausted. Kagome's injured shoulder burned; she could hardly lift her arms anymore, and Inuyasha's entire sleeve and back was wet with blood. He was staggering as he swung, panting heavily. Kagome reached back for another arrow, and her hand grasped at nothing. She was out.

"Get back Kagome", hissed Inuyasha, realising immediately what her startled gasp had meant. He pushed her behind him as another tentacle raced towards her, the expression on Naraku's face gleeful. Inuyasha barely smacked the shadow away by lunging forwards, almost overbalancing. Kagome thought frantically, trying to come up with a plan. They were so close. 'Midoriko, what do I do? Tell me what to do!'

_You must fight him together_, the small voice whispered.

Kagome wanted to scream – they _were_ fighting, they'd been fighting alongside each other all this time, and Inuyasha was _hurt_, he was _bleeding_, and she didn't know…

_You must fight him together, you from within, and your guardian from without_.

Kagome gasped. 'Is that what Kikyou tried to do?' she whispered, dodging another tentacle as Inuyasha screamed at her to get back to safety.

_Yes. But they did not trust._

Kagome ducked and weaved her way to move behind Inuyasha as he frantically sent out waves of youki against Naraku's shadow tentacles. He was beginning to push back now, and they were moving away from the trees.

"Midoriko says that I need to fight Naraku from the inside", she yelled as loudly as she dared, hoping he could hear her above the whistling sound of his axe as it cut through the air.

"What?" he gasped.

Kagome crept as close to him as she could while he swung his Tessaiga, keeping one eye on Naraku's shadow and the other on the Tessaiga. "I need to let him possess me, then purify him inside my body", she explained, "and you need to keep attacking him from the outside."

"Bullshit", roared Inuyasha. "We're not doin' that." He staggered forwards, growling out his challenge to Naraku, but unable to make him give any ground fighting alone.

"Inuyasha", Kagome pleaded, "this is the only way. Midoriko said so." She squealed, almost slipping on the blood soaked grass around Inuyasha. They needed to end this soon, before he bled out; she was amazed he was still standing at all. "She said Kikyou was trying to do the same thing – the only reason it didn't work was because her and the other Inuyasha didn't trust each other enough." She swallowed. "You trust me, don't you?"

Inuyasha turned to look at her determined face, aghast. "Kagome, you know I do, but don't do this – there's gotta be another way!"

Kagome shook her head, her hands shaking. "Remember, you can't hurt me", she said softly. And then she ran.

Ducking and weaving, she ran towards her grandfather's body, ignoring Inuyasha's anguished shout behind her. As she approached, the tentacles blocking her path stilled and dissolved before her, dissipating in the night air like smoke from a lost fire, while others still fought to keep Inuyasha at bay. Naraku bared his teeth at her.

"Come for a chat, little Miko?"

"I offer you a trade", said Kagome boldly, doing her best to calm the tremor in her voice. "Let my grandfather go. Use my body instead."

"And why would I do that?" Naraku licked his lips, looking Kagome up and down, and she shivered, but raised her chin.

"I am offering my body as a last gift to my grandfather, to ease his pain. Please." She could hear Inuyasha's footsteps pounding behind her, could hear him screaming out her name. They needed to do this quickly. "Please."

Naraku grinned like a predator, and Kagome shuddered to see that expression on her grandfather's face. She steeled herself as she watched purplish black miasma leak out of her grandfather's eyes and mouth and she reached out her hand, flinching at the coldness emanating from him. As soon as the darkness touched her, there was a rush of agony up through her arm, and she screamed, dropping to her knees even as she watched her grandfather's body fall lifeless to the ground, before darkness shuttered the light from her own eyes.

Dark. It was dark, so dark, like she was floating in a void. So dark and so very cold. She couldn't feel her hands, couldn't feel _herself_. She didn't know it was going to be like this! She wanted to panic, wanted to scream, but how could you panic without a body to panic with? Being trapped alone in the darkness had always been one of her greatest fears, and she could feel her determination ebbing, sapped by terror.

She needed to focus. She could already feel Naraku's youki, flickering at the edges of her consciousness like fingers of flame, trying to gain total control. He was obviously already controlling her body; she needed to start fighting back. She had to be stronger. Inuyasha was counting on her. She hoped he'd understood what she'd meant by not being able to hurt her. She hoped he trusted her enough for this to work.

"_She_ tried this too you know."

A sibilant whisper cut across her resolve – is this what Naraku sounded like when he wasn't using someone else's voice? It made her want to curl into a ball – hearing his voice made her feel dirtied, unclean. She mentally shuddered.

"Did your pet dog tell you about her? The priestess Kikyou? She even looked a little like you, baby miko." The voice swirled around her, licking at her consciousness intrusively. "Poor… little… baby… miko…", the dark voice crooned, causing Kagome's thoughts to stutter in horror. "It's all over for you now, you know that, don't you?"

Slimy tendrils of youki dragged across her consciousness like unwanted fingers and Kagome wanted to scream. She needed to find her courage, she had to. "Inuyasha", she whispered, almost like a prayer. She concentrated on thinking of his face, not frantic and bloodied as she'd just left him, but his proud fanged smile when she'd loosed that first youki laden arrow, the way he had whirled her around the room, the way he had held her close.

Her courage rallied. Inuyasha had faith in her. She concentrated on the feel of that click when they had connected, their souls touching, recognising each other. She had never felt closer to any other. They were meant to be together. And if she had any say in it, they always would be. She would purify Naraku and put him back behind the barrier. She would fight her way back to Inuyasha and then never leave his side again. She blocked everything else out as she did her best to draw together her spiritual energy.

"Isn't it interesting… _Kikyou's_ dog was called Inuyasha too. But he failed her. Do you want to know what happened to the priestess when her dog failed her, little baby miko?"

Kagome concentrated on increasing her energy, imagining it like a ball of pink lightning in her chest.

"She got trapped in here with me – _some_ of her at least. Her pretty body was left behind to rot, but I managed to contain some of her soul to keep me company here in the dark. She did her very best to keep me away, but I made her play, in the end. It was much more amusing to have a companion than being here alone. She's been in here with me for a very… long… time."

Kagome tightened her hold on the energy, doing her best not to listen. She wouldn't react; he was trying to frighten her. Kikyou had died five hundred years ago, Inuyasha had told her.

"Maybe she'll even come out to play? I bet she'd like to see her darling Inuyasha again, wouldn't you dear Kikyou?"

"Inu- Inuyasha?" The voice from the void was small, brittle, like a lost child's. Kagome's mind reeled; if she'd had control of her body right then, she would have been physically ill. She thought he'd been lying, but had he really trapped the other Miko's soul in here with him? For how long? Five hundred _years_? She'd barely been here five minutes and the thought of being trapped in here any longer than she had to made her want to scream in panic. The darkness suddenly felt thicker, viscous, as if it was alive and intent on invading her sensibility as much as Naraku.

"Yes my sweet. Inuyasha is finally here."

"I knew he'd come for me! I knew if I held on long enough that he would come!" The childish voice giggled hysterically, the sound echoing in the darkness, beating against Kagome's resolve.

"Yes, this foolish Miko has been hiding him from you. We should punish her, don't you think?"

"Why would she do that? Why would she keep Inuyasha from me?" The voice sounded petulant.

"I'm not sure sweet Kikyou. Maybe you should ask her. Or maybe you could ask Inuyasha himself. Would you like to see him? You've been a _very_ good girl for a long time; so quiet, so _malleable_ – I'm sure you've earned a moment or two with him."

Kagome felt a mental shove as a trail of reiki that wasn't hers lanced across her consciousness. She yelped; it had felt like a physical wound, like she'd been whipped. She struggled to keep hold of the energy she'd gathered as Naraku renewed his attack, unwanted finger trails of youki testing her determination. "Midoriko give me strength", she whispered into the darkness.

* * *

_Eeee, my apologies - I don't have that much practice writing fight scenes, so I hope it wasn't too clunky! We're nearly at the end my friends! I want to have this fic finished by the end of October - I'd really like my life back please. Thank you once again for all the lovely reviews and follows, and and hugs and kisses to the person who enjoyed this fic enough to nominate it for the Feudal Awards! Mwah! *flings sunshine and lollipops in your general direction*_


	9. Chapter 9

"KAGOME!"

Inuyasha's heart pounded in his chest, as he raced towards her, gasping for breath. As soon as the body of Kagome's grandfather had fallen, the tentacles of Naraku's dark youki had blown away like mist. He had watched Kagome scream in agony, throwing her face up to the sky and dropping to her knees, and he knew absolute terror for the first time in his life.

He skidded to the ground beside her, unsure of what to do. Tessaiga fell from his shaking hand, and thudded onto the ground, transforming back into the guise of a regular woodchopper's axe. Her eyes had gone blank, her breathing slowing to almost nothing, head dropping to her chest, dark curls curtaining her face and hiding it from his frantic eyes.

"Kagome?" he said brokenly. He couldn't believe that he'd allowed this to happen. What should he do? His hands hovered over her, wanting to cradle her, hold her closely, but afraid of somehow doing the wrong thing, causing her to be locked away from him, like Kikyou had been to the first Inuyasha. He couldn't imagine a fate worse than that, for both of them.

A hissing whine forced its way out from between his clenched teeth. She'd said they'd failed because they didn't trust each other. She'd reminded him that he couldn't hurt her, but the thought of sending a youki blast at her small frame with his axe was terrifying. Should he pull his youki into his hands and touch her, like they had in the cave? Would that be enough?

Suddenly her head raised, her eyes flickering open. He gasped in relief, hope flooding his chest, until he saw her eyes. Kagome's clear grey iris and white sclera had been replaced by pure black, the entirety of her eye covered in darkness like a swirling, never ending pit; and his heart shuddered almost to a stop before beating frantically again.

"Inuyasha? I've waited so _long_, my beloved. He said you wouldn't come, that you were dead and gone, but you came for me. I knew you would." Kagome giggled, spreading her arms out wide.

The back of Inuyasha's eyes burned at hearing her speak. It was still her voice, still the voice he realised he was starting to need like he needed air to breathe. But it didn't sound right – the inflection sounded childish, soft and breathy, not smooth and determined like his Kagome's usual tone. It didn't sound like it was Naraku possessing her either, so what the fuck was going on?

"Kagome?" he asked hesitantly.

The black eyes filled with tears, her hands dropping to the ground, clenching into fists arcing with dark pink reiki. "Inuyasha, how could you? I have been waiting for you all this time, and you address me with another woman's name? Have you forsaken me? Have you bonded with this other Miko?" The dark pink reiki arced from hand to hand like static, lighting the pale face in front of him from beneath with a strobing glow. She glared at him, grinding her teeth.

Inuyasha reeled back, flushed with horror. Oh gods it couldn't be. But it was the only thing that made sense. The miko that had lost her battle with Naraku, turned into a mindless shell. "Ki-kikyou?"

The anger dropped from her face, immediately replaced by a beatific smile. "Ah, my beloved, you do remember! Why did you keep me waiting in the dark for so long?"

"Kikyou", he stammered. Fuck, what on earth should he say? He was filled with pity and horror. Should her tell the truth or play along? He needed to somehow bring his Kagome back and get Naraku behind the barrier. The face in front of him looked like it was barely hanging on to sanity by a thread; she didn't seem to recognise he was an entirely different person and he had no idea what she'd do if confronted with the truth.

Taking a deep breath, he reached his hand forward to touch hers, hiding the flinching pain as her reiki burned and blistered his fingers. It only confirmed for him that this was not Kagome, but an entirely different soul using Kagome's body. "Kikyou, I… I've missed you."

The woman in front of him bit her lip, tears spilling from the coal black eyes, and he winced as she grasped his hand. "I was so frightened in the dark. It was so cold without you Inuyasha. So dark and cold, with only Naraku's voice, when all I wanted to hear was yours." She leaned forward, resting her head against his shoulder. "Can you sing for me as you used to? I have longed to hear your voice so very much."

Inuyasha's heart rate escalated. This could go bad, very fast. "I… sure. I want that too, to sing for you", he whispered, his thoughts racing as he thought of Kagome trapped with Naraku in the dark. He wanted to howl. "But first, we must complete our duty Kikyou, and seal Naraku back behind the barrier. I can't do that without your help."

The woman leaning against him sighed. "Always duty. Why must duty always come first Inuyasha. When will it be our time? I _want_ it to be _our_ time." The reiki in the hand clutched around his flared, and Inuyasha hissed in pain, clenching his jaw tightly.

"I… I know my bel- beloved", he said softly, eyes closed as he concentrated his thoughts on Kagome. "It _will_ be our time, I promise. Just help me do this and then… we will rest. I promise you."

Kikyou sighed. "If we must… but I will hold you to that promise Inuyasha", she giggled. She stood up, and Inuyasha staggered to his feet.

'Just a little longer. Just hold on a little longer Kagome'.

* * *

Kagome wanted to weep. This was so difficult, with Naraku's voice whispering as she struggled to keep herself together. All she wanted was to hear Inuyasha's voice, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. 'Just a little longer' she kept repeating to herself. She imagined a hard shell around herself, impenetrable, solid, unbreakable, like the smooth surface of a polished jewel. She was worried about what might be happening with her body, what Kikyou might do to Inuyasha. Her poor soul was so obviously unstable – fractured and warped by Naraku. What if she attacked him? What if she hurt him even more?

"I can't believe you were so stupid to allow me access to your body, little Miko", whispered Naraku's voice, continually chipping at her control. "Didn't you realise that this was my plan from the moment I met you? As soon as I realised the power that you held, I knew I had to have you. Untrained, untested. It is _wasted_ on you. Give it to me. Give yourself to me." The long fingers of youki stroked over her reiki again, and Kagome felt another wave of revulsion, as Naraku laughed. "You never know, little baby… you may even enjoy it."

Kagome kept going, refusing to listen, stockpiling her power within herself, rolling it like an imaginary snowball, a crackling hailstone of layered reiki. She didn't know how much longer she could do this, but she needed to endure and wait for Inuyasha, wait for him to begin his assault from outside. 'Please' she whimpered. 'Please Inuyasha. I trust you.'

"You're a difficult nut to crack", chuckled Naraku. "But we have all the time in the world." He sighed. "As tedious as it is, I must go and eradicate that half breed dog of yours. Kikyou has had more than enough time to play out in the open. I wonder if the change has refreshed her? It will be interesting to break her all over again." He laughed. "I wonder what it will be like to have two little Miko's at my disposal?"

Kagome moaned. The strain of holding all this power still was immense, and she could feel her defences crumbling. How much longer? What if he'd collapsed? What if he was _dead_? No, no, she had to trust, had to. She had faith in Inuyasha. She would hold firm for him.

* * *

Inuyasha staggered behind a skipping Kikyou, barely holding on. She was laughing softly, marvelling at the stars in the sky, the feel of the wind on her face. She paused to sniff the air and smiled.

"I had almost forgotten how beautiful the world is", she said softly. "How wonderful the cedar trees smell. And look, red spider lilies! I never knew they grew here."

Inuyasha gazed at her in pity. He couldn't imagine how horrifying her existence had been over the centuries. But he couldn't allow his pity for her to temper his resolve. He would do anything to save Kagome. Black spots invaded the corners of his vision, and he shook his head, gritting his teeth. He was _not_ going to pass out. He couldn't fail Kagome. "Almost there", he muttered as he trailed after Kikyou on the winding pathway. He paused to lean on a tree for a moment to catch his breath. Kikyou turned to stare at him.

"Is there something wrong Inuyasha?" she asked uncertainly.

"No, nothing is wrong", he gasped. "Just a little tired. We'll put Naraku back behind the barrier, and then we can rest."

They approached the circle of trees hiding the tall black volcanic rock that contained Midoriko's barrier. It loomed over them in the darkness, blocking the starlight, and Kikyou shivered. The wind tossed the long blue black hair around her face like a billowing cloud.

"Don't like this place", she shivered, as the wind moving through the rock made a mournful howling sound. "This is the place where I was trapped by Naraku. Where he stole me away from you."

Inuyasha rumbled out a low growl as he thought of Kagome, trapped in the darkness with Naraku; he needed to get her out, get her to safety. Gods, when he got her back, he was going to hold her and never let her go. He strained to feel any sense of her. There was a vague tugging sensation pulling in his gut. He didn't know if it was related to her; all he had left was his trust in her. He needed to trust she was still there, still fighting.

"Let's finish this Ka… Kikyou", panted Inuyasha.

"What did you say?" frowned Kikyou, turning towards him. Inuyasha stepped closer to her.

"I said, let's finish this", he replied warily, watching as those black eyes so opposite to Kagome's narrowed in anger.

"You were going to say _her _name, weren't you!?" she spat. "You _have _betrayed me!"

Wind whipped around her, rushing through the hole in the stone directly behind her. "I waited! I waited for YOU! And you never came! My imprisonment, my pain, my terror was your fault. ALL YOUR FAULT!" She screamed out her fury as dark pink power began to gather in her hands, and Inuyasha realised his time was up.

Diving forwards, he wrapped his arms tightly around Kagome's body, pinning her arms and hands against her sides, dragging as much of his youki forward as he could.

"Kagome NOW!" he screamed as he jumped, aiming their bodies for the dark void in the stone. The wind howled about them, and Kikyou screamed, her reiki burning like lightning across his flesh. He closed his eyes, tugging on all the youki he possessed, imagining it covering Kagome's body like a second skin, ignoring the pain of his wounds as they fell through the barrier. Kikyou fought in his grasp, kicking and flailing. It felt icy cold, like the life was being sucked from him, like falling into deep water, but he didn't allow himself to flinch. "I trust you Kagome", he whispered, as they plunged into darkness.

* * *

Inuyasha opened his eyes. He was lying on a cushion of soft earth and dry leaves on the other side of the barrier stone, still within the circle of cedar trees. Kagome was clasped tightly in his arms, her breath leaving her in soft gasps. He felt woozy and lightheaded, bone weary. The burns on his arms and hands, and the wound through his shoulder fucking _ached_ as his body worked to slowly knit the muscles and skin back together. He was unsure how much time had passed since they fell through the barrier, and all he wanted to do was close his eyes again and sleep for a hundred years, but he had to be sure. Had to be sure that it had worked, and that Kagome was safe.

He pushed the dark fringe away from her closed eyes, stroked her soft cheek gently. "Kagome", he said softly, "come back to me. Open your eyes for me." Her eyelids flickered open, but instead of clear grey, his gaze was met by pure black.

Air rushed out of his lungs like he'd been punched in the gut, and his skin prickled with horror. "No", he moaned, panting. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe without Kagome. He'd failed her. He'd failed to protect her. A choking cough forced its way out of his mouth and his breath left him in great searing gasps. She was trapped in the barrier with Naraku, no doubt being tortured into insanity just as Kikyou had been. He'd lost her. Found her then lost her and he didn't know how to get her back.

A gentle hand was placed over his, still resting on her cheek. "It's alright", she whispered, stroking fingers over his, trying to soothe. "She is still here. I can feel her, resting. She must have expended a huge amount of reiki in her fight against Naraku. I am sure she will wake soon."

Tears spilled out over the dark eyes ringed by sooty lashes. "You look so very much like him you know. M-my Inuyasha. Not your ears. But your voice… a-and your eyes… I wanted you to be him so badly." Tears spilled down pale cheeks.

"She's really still there? Really? Don't lie to me, please!" pleaded Inuyasha choking over the words.

"Really. Naraku is gone." She placed a hand over her heart. "Kagome is still here."

Inuyasha rolled onto his back, his head thudding onto the ground as his breath still heaved, but now in great gasps of relief rather than despair.

"How long?" she whispered.

Inuyasha sat up slowly, scooting backwards until he was leaning against the massive trunk of one of the giant cedar trees surrounding the rock. He sighed, looking at those dark eyes with pity. There was no easy way to say this.

"It's been five hundred years since Naraku last escaped from the barrier", he said softly. "I'm sorry." The words of apology seemed trite and hardly fitting in the face of all that she had been through, but he could think of nothing else to say.

A shaking hand went up to cover her mouth, and she laughed, even as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks. "I waited", she giggled. "I waited and waited and waited and _waited_ and he didn't come." Her voice sounded childish, a sing song tone of petulant complaint. "How silly of me, to wait five hundred years. How very foolish. How incredibly _stupid_ was I, to hold on to hope while being dragged into the pit of Naraku's black despair."

Her hands dropped to the ground in front of her as she leaned forward, rocking her body, scrabbling her fingernails in the dark earth, digging in amongst the stones and leaves. "I _waited_ for him. Was I not good enough? Was I not strong enough? Did my agony and patience mean nothing? I WAITED FOR YOU INUYASHA! WHY DIDN'T YOU COME?!" She threw back her head and wailed her despair, the keening shout echoing against the dark stone behind them.

Inuyasha leaned forward to grasp her hands in his, preventing her from bruising and scratching them further. Sighing, he pulled Kikyou to sit beside him and wrapped an arm comfortingly around her shoulders, holding both her hands in his larger one. This wasn't Kagome, he knew, but it looked like her, could so easily have been her if things had not worked out tonight. The thought made him feel physically ill, and he quickly pushed it aside.

"He didn't know that you were trapped with Naraku, Kikyou", he explained gently. "No one did. Your body passed through the barrier, looking uninjured and alive, but with no thoughts or feelings, unable to move by itself. He stayed with your body, tried to nurse you back to health; he never left your side. Until the day your body died, he was your constant shadow, and his grief at your passing was so great that he removed himself from the shrine and disappeared." He stroked the dark hair, wishing he could make her feel better. "The story of Inuyasha and Kikyou has survived for five hundred years. It is told to every new guardian as a tale of love and devotion; an example of how close two guardians can be."

"I loved him", she sobbed, "but it was not… permitted. A marriage between a youkai and a human was condemned and despised." Her shoulders shook as she wept, fingers curling and uncurling inside the gentle hold of Inuyasha's hand. "I loved him."

"I am certain that he loved you too", replied Inuyasha. He continued to stroke her hair as she sobbed, feeling very sad for her, but at the same time longing for Kagome.

"So tired", she whispered in a small heartbroken voice as her sobs subsided.

"Then sleep", said Inuyasha gently. "I will protect you. Nothing will harm you; I promise. You can rest now Kikyou, without fear." He pulled her limp form to sit in his lap and wrapped his arms around her, shakily humming a half remembered lullaby his mother used to sing for him as he rocked her gently like a baby. He could do this for her at the very least. His eyes drifted closed not long after hers did, hoping that when he opened them again, his Kagome would be awake.

* * *

"Inuyasha!"

He grunted as Kagome's smaller form wriggled in his lap, kneeing him in a few uncomfortable places in her effort to turn around quickly. Before he could even blink open his eyes, small hands were unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it aside to look at his shoulder.

"Thank goodness", she muttered, "it's better than I expected, but I still need to pack this, and he probably needs a blood transfusion and intravenous antibiotics too; who knows what kind of nastiness was on those tentacles of Naraku's?". His eyes remained closed, but he couldn't help the slow smile that crept across his face as she continued to mutter, cataloguing his injuries.

"Kagome, stop fussing", he huffed.

"Inuyasha!"

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking as he focused on the worried grey eyes in front of him, then he dragged her into a rib cracking hug. Kagome squeaked, unable to move.

"Don't you _ever_ fucking do that again Kagome! Do you hear me! We're a guardian pair; we need to stay together, work together. Do you understand? Don't you ever leave my side in a battle like that again!"

"I don't plan to", she said shakily. "Please, need to breathe!"

"Sorry", he said but only released her a little, tucking her tightly in under his chin. "I am so fucking angry at you right now", he growled, giving her body a gentle shake. "You could have died Kagome. Or even worse, you could have been trapped in there with him like…"

"Like Kikyou. I kno-ow", she said.

Inuyasha sighed, relenting at the wobble in her voice.

"Okay, lecture's over, for now", he grunted. "Look at me." He pulled her back so he could examine her carefully. She was very pale, with blue tinged lips and dark shadows under her eyes. Her expression looked haunted, and her hands were shaking. "Kikyou said you had overused your reiki", he muttered, scowling at her.

"I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine", she whispered.

Inuyasha's bottom lip trembled as he continued to gaze at her, and he pressed his lips together tightly, breathing harshly out through his nose as he struggled to gain control of his emotions. He stroked Kagome's hair away from her face. "I thought I'd lost you. Found you and lost you", he whispered shakily. He leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her lips, and then smiled against her mouth as Kagome's fingers reached up to stroke his ear. He pressed his forehead to hers. "C'mon you. We need to get you somewhere comfortable to sleep so you can rebuild your reiki before you pass out."

"I'd like that, but first, I need to check on Grandpa. I know he's… probably…" she hiccupped a small sob as Inuyasha stroked her shoulders, "but I can't just leave him outside. And I need to call my mother."

"Of course." He staggered to his feet, then pulled Kagome to hers. "Some guardian I am", he muttered, "leaving Tessaiga out on the battlefield. It's gonna be pissed at me."

Kagome giggled softly, blinking away tears. "How does an axe show that it's angry at you?" she teased.

"It doesn't really", he huffed. "I can just tell. Gives me the silent treatment. Makes me feel guilty."

"Ah. Good to know."

"Whaddya mean, good to know? Wench!"

Kagome turned to poke her tongue out at him, and then stumbled. Inuyasha's long arm stretched out to catch her elbow. He put an arm around her shoulders. "You prop me up, and I'll prop you up, how does that sound. Let's move away from this fucking rock. I've seen enough of this place to last me a lifetime." Kagome shivered, averting her eyes from the towering stone. "Do you wanna tell me what happened in there?" Kagome shook her head violently.

"Not when it's dark", she whispered. "I don't want to think about it right now."

"Alright", he said easily, choosing to leave the obviously terrifying subject alone for the time being. "When you're ready. The sun should be up in an hour or so anyway."

They moved slowly away from the trees, following the winding little path back towards the house. When they saw the small crumpled body lying on the grass next to Inuyasha's axe, Kagome couldn't help the silent tears that streamed down her cheeks. With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha stooped down to pick up the frail form, then quickly dropped his ear to the old man's chest.

"Kagome, he's still alive!"

Kagome ripped her hoodie off over her head, and frantically tucked it around the pale silent body of her grandfather in Inuyasha's arms. She leaned her face close to the old man's, and could feel the warmth of his shallow breathing on her cheek. "We need to get him inside and get him warm", she said moving her fingers to his carotid artery. The pulse was a little faint but steady, and Kagome choked back a sob. The dull numbness of grief in her chest was being painfully forced out by the tentative prickling of hope.

* * *

When Grandpa finally came to, he was lying on his futon wrapped up tightly in his quilt, and greeted by a tearful Kagome, who was in the process of pulling a warm woollen beanie on his head.

"Why am I alive?" he whispered croakily.

Inuyasha walked into the room, carrying three cups of steaming tea on a tray. He grinned at the sight of the old man wrapped up in the quilt like a burrito and wearing a pink and white striped pom-pom beanie that was obviously Kagome's. Sunlight was just beginning to light the room with a warm glow.

"Nice to see you awake Jiji. We didn't think you were gonna make it there for a little while."

"I didn't expect to", replied Grandpa stoically, a bit put out about having his granddaughter and an almost stranger seeing him in such a state.

"Shhh", soothed Kagome. "No talking. We need to get you to a hospital so they can check you over." Her hand hovered over the bruising on his face. "I want to make sure I didn't crack your cheek bone." She bit her lip, her grey eyes filled to overflowing with tears. "I'm so sorry Grandpa. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, none of that", said Inuyasha, dropping down next to Kagome and Grandpa to place the tray on the tatami. "He needs tea, not tears." Very carefully, he eased the old man into a sitting position with the blanket still wrapped tightly around him, leaving a strong steadying arm around his shoulders, while Kagome fed him teaspoons of sweetened tea. Grandpa's eyebrows narrowed in distaste.

"Next time you make me tea boy, don't put so much sugar in it. It's revolting." He made a gagging face, and Kagome giggled as Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"I asked him to put honey in it Grandpa – you need it for the energy."

"You need to drink yours too Kagome, before it gets cold", said Inuyasha sternly.

"But I…"

"But nothin'. Don't think I didn't notice when you nearly passed out in the hallway." He reached for his own tea and took a sip, making a face at the taste. "Yeah, I did make that a bit too sweet. Sorry Jiji." He held Kagome's gaze until she huffed at him and picked up her own tea.

"I'm fine Inuyasha! In fact _you_ should be the one lying down with that shoulder of yours, _and_ the burns on your hands! You still haven't let me do a proper dressing, and you probably need a blood transfusion with all the blood you lost last night!" She glared at the dressing he had taped on to his own shoulder while she'd been busy with Grandpa. His bloodstained checked flannel and undershirt had been dumped into the bathtub, and he was currently sitting there in just his blood spattered jeans. She blinked as she realised she was staring at his naked chest, honey toned skin stretched over hard muscle, and dropped her gaze back to her teacup.

"Eh, I'll be fine", he shrugged, taking another sip of tea. "Burns are nearly all gone anyway. Hanyou's heal much faster than humans."

"But you're not indestructible!"

"Neither are you!" he growled. "I'm still angry at you, you know, even if it did all work out okay!"

They both stopped at hearing a wry chuckle from Grandpa. "It seems this old man has missed a lot." He sighed. "I truly didn't expect to live through this night, and I'm quite relived to find myself still alive after all. But listening to you two squabble like children is not doing much to relieve my headache."

"Sorry Grandpa."

"Yeah, sorry Jiji."

"So, he's really gone? Inuyasha managed to seal him behind the barrier?" Grandpa's expression was neutral, but the unmistakable quaver in the old man's voice made Kagome's heart ache.

"He's really gone Grandpa. It seems that there was a reason I loved all those stories about Miko you told me when I was a little girl." She held up her hand and her fingers glowed with a pink light, easily seen in the dim shadows of the room. She smiled a teary smile. "I've finally found out where I'm meant to be, Grandpa."

"My darling girl!" Her grandfather beamed at her. "This calls for a celebration! Everyone obviously needs to rest, but then I shall prepare a lunchtime feast for you both!"

Inuyasha's ears lowered as he thought about the current state of the old man's kitchen. "Yeah, about that…" he muttered, making a face at Kagome as she giggled at him while dragging out the spare futons from the cupboard.

* * *

"Really, he's okay Mama", repeated Kagome. "I promise. He had the flu and was a little disorientated because he got dehydrated. He's doing much better now."

As soon as they'd woken from a short but necessary sleep, and everyone had bathed off the blood, sweat and grime of last night, she had called her mother after guiltily realising there were ten missed calls from her on her phone, which thankfully had survived the carnage in the kitchen with only a cracked case.

Grandpa had blatantly refused her pleas to be examined at a hospital, saying that he felt fine apart from a slight headache, and didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to the shrine. Surprisingly, Inuyasha had agreed with him, pointing out that the old man had managed to wash himself without assistance, and he was wandering around quite steadily now that he'd had a nap. So she had dressed his eye herself, holding back tears as she did so, with Grandpa patting her arm and making soothing sounds as she taped on the bandage.

"Oh Kagome, you don't know how worried I was. I just had this terrible feeling that something was very wrong." The relieved sigh on the other end of the line made Kagome feel a little guilty about hiding the whole truth, but it was for the best.

"He did have a little fall, but I promise you, he's okay." Kagome took a deep breath. "In fact I've decided that I'm going to defer the last semester of my nursing studies for a while, and move here to the shrine. I think he needs someone to take care of him full time."

"Kagome, I can't let you do that!" stammered her mother.

"Mama, I want to! He looked after us for so long! And anyway, it's partly a selfish reason. It's beautiful here; I've never felt like this about a place before. I feel like I belong here."

"Oh Kagome." There was a deep sigh. "Do you think I could speak to your grandfather?"

"Of course Mama, I'll get him for you."

She could hear Inuyasha and Grandpa in the kitchen, the old man fussing at the damage and Inuyasha assuring him that he'd be able to fix everything himself, if he didn't mind a traditional wooden kitchen. She grinned at them both as she moved into the kitchen. Inuyasha was now dressed in a spare pair of her Grandfather's black hakama, which were several inches too short for him, while his jeans were soaking in a bucket in the laundry. He could have just run home to get new clothes, but neither he nor Kagome had wanted to be separated just yet.

"Grandpa – Mama wants to speak to you." She held the phone tightly to her chest, then whispered, "You had the flu, and you fell, but you're all okay now. Got it?" The old man nodded determinedly, then took the phone, holding it carefully against his uninjured cheek.

"Kaori, how are you my dear…" He moved out of the kitchen, heading back towards the tatami room.

"We still need to talk about what happened you know. It won't do you any good to bottle it all up."

Kagome sighed, dropping her head forward at Inuyasha's words. "I know. I just… can we leave it for just a little while longer? I promise, I will talk about it eventually, but…"

"I don't think I've ever been more terrified", said Inuyasha, moving to wrap his arms around her from behind.

Kagome leaned back against him, relishing the warmth of his bare chest behind her. She'd washed quickly not long before, scrubbing herself clean with soap as she sat on the bamboo bathing stool, then rinsing with water as hot as she could stand it, but she still felt cold. She shivered a little, pushing away thoughts of darkness.

"Naraku did do his best to be terrifying." She felt Inuyasha shake his head.

"No, I mean when I woke up after passing through the barrier; your eyes opened, and it was still Kikyou looking back at me. I thought you'd been left behind with Naraku, like she had been. I thought I'd lost you and I didn't know how to get you back."

"Oh. That's what you meant. I was worried too – she'd been so badly damaged by Naraku. It wasn't her fault. But I was worried she would hurt you. And she did." She turned his hands to look at the palms. New pink skin had already formed where previously it had been bubbled and bloodied, but that only assuaged her feeling of guilt a little. Even if she hadn't been in control of them at the time, it had been her hands that had caused this.

Inuyasha nuzzled his cheek against her hair and sighed. Kagome felt his heated breath tingling her scalp. "Not on purpose. She thought I was him – her Inuyasha."

"Maybe you are". She felt him flinch, and stroked the strong arms circling her waist. "Just hear me out. Didn't you tell me that guardians could be reborn?" She turned her head slightly, so her cheek was against his chest. 'What if your soul was somehow linked to that Inuyasha, and mine was linked to Kikyou's? Because, I don't think she's gone. Not in a bad way, I can't feel her exactly, but I feel _better_. Like I found something that was missing. Something that I didn't know I needed until it was there."

She hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath. "And another thing I just realised…" She turned in his arms, so she was facing him. "You kissed me", she said, her voice breathy with a mixture of accusation and wonder.

"I did. And you tugged on my ear." He smiled at her lazily, amber eyes blinking slowly as they roved over her face. "I think I remember saying you could do that again when we were down on solid ground and not about to go into battle."

"I remember." She tapped the floor with her foot. "Floor in here seems pretty solid."

Inuyasha took a step backwards, leaning his backside against a section of scuffed kitchen benchtop that had survived the battle only hours before. "Yup, I agree. Sturdy." He grabbed onto the hem of Kagome's clean t-shirt and tugged her forwards until she stood in the space between his spread legs. "And there _was_ a battle in here, but it seems to be finished now."

Kagome made a show of looking around the kitchen. "Seems to be", she grinned. Slowly she reached out, her fingers pausing for a moment on his bare chest to circle in amongst the smattering of short silver curls. When he made no complaint, but continued to gaze at her with that lazy fanged smile, she trailed her fingers delicately up the side of his neck, running through the choppy hair near his cheekbone to continue upwards until she latched on to a pointed ear, stroking upwards. The tenseness in Inuyasha's shoulders seemed to melt, and Kagome giggled as a rumbling sound that could only be called a purr emanated from his broad chest.

"Feels good huh?" she gloated, circling her fingers, scratching her nails gently into the fleshy base of his soft ear.

"Oh yeah", he murmured, his eyes drifting closed. "You have no idea." One of his large hands spanned the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. "I heard you tell your Mama that you're stayin'. Are you stayin' for good?"

"Yes", she said softly. "I know where I belong now. I want to stay by your side Inuyasha".

His head dropped to her shoulder. "You don't know how happy that makes me feel" he said, his voice low and husky. "I don't know what I woulda done if you'd said you were goin' back to Tokyo."

He tucked his nose into the hollow curve behind her clavicle. "Has anyone ever told you how amazing you smell Kagome?" He pressed his lips to her neck, trailing open mouthed kisses up towards her ear.

"I don't think that's ever come up as a topic of conversation before", she said breathily, tilting her head and chin back.

"My Kagome", he murmured breathlessly, clawed fingertips reaching to tilt her head back even further, lifting his head so that his mouth could hover over hers properly. He spread his knees a little wider, positioning her between his long legs so that he could get even closer to her. She was so much smaller than him, so feminine. He wanted to look after her, care for her, protect her. But right now, he just fucking _wanted _her. If he were honest, he'd wanted her ever since the moment his soul had touched hers. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers as he spoke, "If you keep doing that, then I'm gonna have trouble slowin' this down."

"Doing what?" she moaned, her fingers leaving his ear and twisting themselves into the short hair at the back of his skull.

"Smelling so damn delicious."

Kagome's breath stuttered, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks as Inuyasha leaned in to kiss her softly, taking his time and swallowing her sighs as he tilted his head to deepen their contact. He could taste the honey on her tongue from the tea earlier this morning. Her small hands were wrapped around his neck, fisting into his hair to steady herself as his tongue ran along her now swollen bottom lip.

Their lips moved softly as Inuyasha kissed her again, indulging himself just a little more. They had fucking _earned _this, after last night. Kagome moaned a little into his mouth. He loved that sound. In fact all the sounds she was making were amazing to him. All those tiny little gasps of pleasure were making his blood boil faster than anything he'd ever experienced before in his entire life.

A shuffling noise from the hallway brought him back to his senses. She was staying. They had time for this now. Time to get to know each other, time to learn together, _taste_ each other. He'd never thought he would get to have this. The thought was a little overwhelming, but in the best possible way. He could almost howl in joy at the thought of it.

He placed his hands on either side of her head, and one last chaste press of his lips against hers, before pulling away. Her eyes blinked dazedly, and he felt a surge of masculine pride as he took in the picture she made – flushed cheeks, pink kiss-swollen lips, panting breaths. He'd done that. And he wanted to do it again.

"Your grandpa's coming back", he whispered as way of explanation, and grinned as Kagome's hands frantically swept to her hair, trying to give it some semblance of neatness. She stepped back a little, creating a space between them, and it took everything Inuyasha had to resist dragging her back to where she belonged.

"Well, I think I've smoothed things over with your mother", said Grandpa as he wandered back into the kitchen, handing Kagome's phone back to her. "Her and Souta will be visiting in two weeks when his school term finishes, for a little holiday." He looked expectantly at Inuyasha. "You'll have the kitchen finished by then?"

Inuyasha blinked at him, turning to look at the wreckage of the wall where Naraku had pushed through it, then surveyed the broken cupboards and crockery littering the floor on the other side.

"Sure. It's not like I ain't got a whole mountain side to patrol or anythin'…"

"Wonderful", answered Grandpa breezily. "I'm still feeling a little tired, so I might go and have another nap before lunchtime." He wandered off to his futon, and Kagome giggled.

"It'll be okay, I'll help."

"You'd better", he grunted.

Kagome breathed out a relieved sigh. It was over. Naraku was back behind the barrier. She tried not to think about him too much, knowing that she would have to tell Inuyasha about it, knowing that the darkness would probably haunt her dreams for many months to come. She would still have to fulfil her duties as miko of the shrine, ensuring the barrier at Hogeto Rock held firm.

But for the first time in her life she felt truly happy. Truly whole. With someone beside her who could only make her feel stronger. And that kiss – it still felt like her insides were glowing with warmth. She wished Grandpa had spent just a little longer on the phone. She wanted more of Inuyasha's warmth. A lot more.

"C'mon", she said, taking Inuyasha's hand. "Help me clean up a bit in here so we can make something for lunch. You'll never guess what I found in the back of Grandpa's fridge."

"Bacon?!" Inuyasha's eyes lit up, his ears perking to attention.

"Yup. I don't think we've really got all the ingredients to make pancakes, seeing the pantry is a bit out of order. But what about bacon and eggs for lunch?" she suggested.

"Oh yeah!", he said grinning appreciatively at her. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Anythin' for dessert?"

"I'm not sure; you'll just have to turn up and find out", she winked.

A slow fanged grin crawled across his face, and his amber eyes lit up from within.

"That's my girl..."

* * *

_Throws arms in air rapturously - it is FINISHED! The last chapter of Into the Woods. I'll be taking a little break from it, then posting it onto AO3 with the addition of a smexy epilogue…_

This chapter wasn't exactly inspired by it, but the song I had running through my head while I wrote (especially Kikyou's part) was Hozier's In the Woods Somewhere

Thanks so much for all the support I've received for this little fic of mine. A lot of thanks needs to go to clearwillow on Tumblr for keeping me inspired with her amazing artwork. I've really enjoyed writing it. Cheers everyone!


	10. Epilogue - Part One

_So, I know I said I would only post the Epilogue on Ao3, but then I decided that wasn't entirely fair, because a lot happens in this. You guys get a cut down version, that is within FFN guidelines and includes all the important plot, just very little of the explicit action. If you're over 18, and want to read the entire thing, you can find it there on my profile - same user name BearPlusCat. _

_The first nine chapters took place over a pretty intense twenty four hours - and the Epilogue continues the adventure two weeks later. For a little while, Kagome and Inuyasha have been in a happy little love-filled bubble at the shrine, but now the outside world is going to intrude. Let's hope it all works out!_

* * *

Kagome pushed herself upwards from the futon, gasping for breath. Sweat trickled down her face, yet she shivered as if freezing. Her eyes squinted shut involuntarily in the bright light, but even with her eyelids closed, she was relieved that she wasn't in total darkness anymore. Her throat felt raw, as if she'd been screaming. Obviously, she must have been, because her grandfather's worried voice called out from his bedroom across the hall.

"Kagome, are you okay child? Are you ill?"

Kagome took a deep breath. "I'm okay Grandpa."

A few moments later there was a tap on her door, before it slid open to reveal her grandfather kneeling in the doorway.

"Did you have another bad dream, little bird?"

The tremulous half smile that Kagome had plastered on her face the moment the door had opened twisted at his childish endearment – she couldn't remember the last time her grandfather had called her that. His sleeping kimono was slightly askew, and he looked so much older with his greying hair straggling around his face, rather than put up tidily in a top knot.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I woke you Grandpa."

Grandpa looked at her with concern, her pale face and the dark shadows under her eyes blatantly obvious in the bright lighting of the room. "Kagome, I have to admit, I'm beginning to be a little worried. That's the third time this week. Do you think perhaps leaving the overhead light on is causing you to wake at night? I can understand you wanting light in the room after what happened, but perhaps a small lamp would be better?"

Kagome shook her head. "Don't worry Grandpa, I'm fine, really. I'll make myself a cup of tea and then go back to sleep. Please go back to bed."

A sharp tapping on the back door interrupted whatever her grandfather was about to say next, and he sighed. "Well, it appears the cavalry has arrived – I have to give that boy his dues, he really is most attentive. And at least he's knocking this time, instead of just barging in. I believe I will go back to bed." He fixed Kagome with a stern gaze. "However young lady, I will remind you that this is a shrine, and I expect you to conduct yourself with decorum."

"Grandpa!" Kagome blushed.

The rapping on the door grew in volume, and Grandpa made an impatient 'tch' noise. "For heavens sakes Kagome, open the door for him before he destroys my kitchen again."

Kagome hurriedly worked herself out of her twisted quilt cocoon and rushed to the kitchen, pausing only to turn on the light before running around the table and stepping down into the genkan to open the back door. Inuyasha was breathing hard, his knuckles poised to knock at the door again. He was barefoot, wearing a singlet and sleep shorts, and had clearly sprinted here from his house as soon as he woke. Wordlessly, he pulled Kagome into a tight hug, and she melted against him, twisting her fingers into the soft loose fabric of his top.

"How did you know?" she whispered.

"I heard ya scream", he said simply. "Another nightmare?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"I'm not. You know I'll come anytime you need me Kagome." He dropped a kiss on top of her head, then rubbed his cheek against her hair.

"I was going to make tea – would you like some?" asked Kagome softly, reaching for his hand and drawing him into the kitchen.

"Sure."

Inuyasha sat down at the table and watched as Kagome moved around the kitchen, her oversized white sleepshirt slipping off one shoulder. He tried to keep his thoughts under control as the hemline raised to reveal the lacy edge of her panties as she reached up to an overhead shelf for the camomile tea, and he looked down at the table instead. Now was not the time.

To get his mind off Kagome's shapely derriere, he turned his attention to the newly finished kitchen. To his eyes, it looked pretty good. The old kitchen had been cheap pine rubbish anyway. He'd replaced the overhead cabinetry with open wooden shelving in cedar, and the lower cabinets with deep wooden drawers, using a combination of Japanese cedar and red pine to highlight the dovetail joints. Thankfully, he'd had just enough seasoned wood to be able to complete the kitchen in time. The only thing he hadn't been able to replace yet was the glass for the window, but he'd made a kumiko lattice screen to keep the insects out and new storm shutters to keep out the weather. The old man had seemed happy enough. He'd just have to wait until he'd sold some more joinery pieces before winter to buy the glass. The whistle of the kettle turned his attention back to Kagome.

"Are you excited to see the rest of your family tomorrow?" he asked. She smiled over her shoulder at him.

"I am. It will be good for both of them to get away from Tokyo for a little while. Mama works so hard, and some fresh air will be good for Souta after studying for high school entrance exams. I remember how stressful they were." She poured the hot water over the tea leaves, and brought both cups over to the table, sitting down beside Inuyasha and leaning against his shoulder.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. He'd been meaning to ask Kagome this question for days, but hadn't been able to work out the right way to bring it up. But with her family arriving tomorrow, it was now or never.

"Kagome. Would ya like me to stay away from the shrine while they're here?"

Kagome sat up straight, a look of surprise on her face. "Why on earth would I want you to do that Inuyasha? I want them to meet you!"

Inuyasha stared into his teacup, a pensive look on his face. "I just thought… look Kagome, it's not like I'm the sorta guy a girl would usually want to introduce to her mother. And she's already upset at you for deferring your nursing studies." He'd overheard Kagome's heated phone 'discussion' with her mother a few nights ago regarding her nursing degree, and his insides had churned at the thought that Kagome might lose any part of her family due to his influence. Family was important.

"She'll get over it. I've spoken to the university – I'm able to defer for a year for family reasons. And in that time, I can work out how to transfer my studies here."

Inuyasha took another deep breath. "So… how do we explain… us?"

"You're really worried about this, aren't you?" she smiled. She squeezed his bicep, rubbing his arm reassuringly. "Mama will love you, just like I do."

Inuyasha snorted. "I doubt it. I'm not exactly prime son-in-law material Kagome." Kagome's arms snaked around his neck.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks", she said earnestly. "It matters what I think."

"But…"

"No buts!" she said, her expression suddenly fierce. "I decided that I was meant to be with you after only knowing you for one night – _nothing_ is going to change that. Mama will just have to get used to the idea."

Inuyasha's heart swelled, and he couldn't help the grateful grin that split his face. Technically he knew that fate seemed to have decided they were destined for each other, but every time she said it out loud, his mind got a little more used to the idea that this was real, and not just a dream.

"I just don't want this to come between the two of you, that's all", he said carefully, sipping at his tea. "I know it's never been done before, but what if we told your Mama about the history of the shrine and our roles as Guardians? It might help her to understand how we became so close in such a short space of time."

"Or it might scare her half to death", returned Kagome, staring moodily into her cup then taking a sip.

"Kagome. She's your mother. She's gonna know something's happened here. I think we should tell her. And…", he hesitated for a moment, then ploughed on, "it might help you. What if you have another nightmare while they're here? If you can't tell me…"

Kagome stiffened. "That's not a reason to tell her anything! People have nightmares all the time Inuyasha!"

"I'm just worried about you", he said softly, stroking her hair. "You know you end up having a nightmare nearly every night after you've strengthened the barrier."

She nodded, biting her lip. The pattern hadn't escaped her. She hadn't been able to bring herself to go anywhere near Hogeto Rock since that night, and been strengthening the barrier every second or third day from the honden at the shrine. She felt safe in there, in the shrine's innermost chamber with Inuyasha's hands on her shoulders, lending her his strength. But it took a lot of effort to strengthen the barrier from a distance. Picturing the rock in her mind made her feel frightened, and the energy she released defensively to strengthen the barrier always left her in a huge rush. It usually left her feeling weak and drained. The first time she'd done it, Inuyasha had to carry her back to the house.

Kagome sighed, dropping her head back to his shoulder. "Alright, how about a compromise. If she asks questions, then we'll tell her. And we'll get Grandpa to help. But only if we need to. Until then, you're Grandpa's neighbour, an insanely hot and extremely talented carpenter who lives in the woods and who I just happened to fall madly in love with. Love at first sight – you can't get more romantic than that."

"Tryin' to butter me up with compliments, huh wench?"

Kagome tipped her head back to give him a mischievous smile. "Is it working?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Finish up your tea – you need to get some more sleep." Kagome's fingers clutched at his shirt.

"Please stay?" He could see a blush heating her cheeks. "It's just… I sleep better when you're close by." He dropped another kiss on the top of her head.

"Course I will. Wasn't plannin' on leavin' anyway."

* * *

Kagome clung tightly to Inuyasha's hand as they waited for the bus; her patiently, him, not so much. She could feel how ready to bolt he was, the nervous energy radiating from him was almost palpable.

"It's going to be fine", she soothed, intertwining their fingers. "Just be your usual charming self."

"Then this whole thing is doomed right from the start", he quipped, only half joking. "I still think ya should just meet them both by yourself. We could still do that. What if I go do an early patrol? You wait here and then I'll meet them at dinner."

Kagome firmed her grip on his hand. "Nuh uh. Nothing doing dog boy. Besides, my mother is a 'just in case' packer – knowing her, there'll be a whole extra suitcase of clothes for me and treats for Grandpa. You can get in my Mama's good graces by carrying the heavy stuff for her and earning your keep."

Inuyasha sighed in an exasperated fashion, then tensed, his ears turning towards the direction of the village. "Bus is nearly here." His booted foot tapped nervously on the ground. "Seriously Kagome, I'm terrible at this. I've never been good at meeting new people. What if…" he swallowed nervously, his ears flattening against his skull. "What if your Mama thinks I'm not good enough, and makes you go home."

"Inuyasha, look at me."

He turned towards her, and she reached up to stroke his cheek, trying to smooth away the tenseness in his jaw. "We've already gone over this. I _am_ home. These past few weeks with you have been the best of my life. Even if Mama did want me to come back to Tokyo, that wouldn't make me leave you. My place is here with you, okay?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. "I just want your family to like me."

"Grandpa likes you."

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh. Your grandfather _tolerates_ me at best. Because I kept you safe. And possibly because I fixed his kitchen."

"That's not true! What did he say when you'd finished it? And you can't lie, because I was there!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "He said it was well done."

"See! From Grandpa, that's like a standing ovation! I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times he's said that to me, and he adores me!"

Inuyasha grinned at her. "Well, at least Jiji and I can agree on somethin' then – you are pretty fuckin' adorable." He turned his head to aim a small kiss at the centre of her palm.

She smiled at him, moving her hand upwards from his cheek to reach towards one of his furry pointed ears, and he pulled his head away with a censuring rumble, grasping both her hands firmly in his.

"Kagome, quit it! I'm about to meet the rest of your family, and that's not the kinda impression I wanna give!"

"Whoops, sorry", she giggled. "It's all your fault for having such cute ears. I can't help it if it affects you that way."

Over the past few weeks when Kagome had joined Inuyasha on his afternoon patrols, the only time of the day she wasn't chaperoned by Grandpa, they'd embarked on some very enjoyable experimentation in the woods. They hadn't done much past hot and heavy make out sessions, still fully clothed, but Inuyasha had confirmed what she'd already suspected - her fingers rubbing his ears was an instant turn on for him.

They'd become increasingly more comfortable with each other and had overcome most of their new couple inhibitions. He'd already spent quite a few nights next to her on her futon at the shrine after she'd woken from nightmares, but with Grandpa there, it was fully clothed cuddling and chaste kisses only. Kagome was sure that it wouldn't be too long before she'd be spending the night at Inuyasha's house, and not just for sleeping. But there was no rush. Not now she was staying forever. She felt an attack of love bubbling up through her chest, pricking at the backs of her eyes, and she went up on tiptoe to kiss him gently on the lips.

Inuyasha returned her kiss, then sighed expressively. "What am I gonna do with you woman?! You're lucky I love you. Cheeky wench."

"And I love you too. Adorable jerk."

"There's nothin' adorable about me!" he huffed.

"Of course not", she soothed. "You're my rough tough dog boy, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

"There's no need to be patronising Kagome."

"Who said I was patronising you!"

"Well, I have to agree with you Kagome – the scenery here definitely is beautiful."

Inuyasha and Kagome's heads whipped around at the same moment, to see the cheerful face of Mama Higurashi looking pointedly at them, one eyebrow raised, and a sniggering Souta standing beside her as the bus pulled away.

* * *

The walk back to the shrine was filled with laughter, for Souta at least. Kagome and her mother had exchanged warm hugs, but now further up the trail their conversation was a little formal and stilted. Inuyasha had quickly bent down to pick up all the luggage after the quick introductions and headed off, both to give himself a job to calm his panic and to look too busy to talk to anyone, but that didn't stop Souta trying to quiz him about what he and Kagome had been up to.

"So, does Grandpa know about you?" he teased, just managing to match pace with Inuyasha as he strode up the mountain determinedly, barely encumbered by all the luggage clutched in his fists. Inuyasha kept one ear trained on the conversation taking place between Kagome and her mother behind them. So far, they'd touched on the weather in Tokyo, what the local shrine had done for a festival, and the ridiculous price of watermelon this year – so far so good.

"Yes, he does."

"And he approves of you going out with my sister?"

"He hasn't said he disapproves", muttered Inuyasha through clenched teeth. He knew he should have gone on that run. This was painful in the extreme.

"Well, he's probably fine with it then", said Souta in surprise. "Grandpa is usually pretty quick to let you know when he thinks you're doing the wrong thing." His voice lowered. "Is… is he okay?"

Inuyasha's gaze flicked to Souta. He was looking down at the path, but it was easy to read how worried the boy was, and Inuyasha's stiff posture loosened a bit. "He's fine", he assured him a little gruffly. "He was ill when Kagome first got here, but she looked after him, and now he's all better."

"You're sure?"

"He was well enough to boss me around into tidying up the shrine storeroom this morning, so I'm pretty sure, yeah", said Inuyasha with a grin. Souta snickered.

"So glad that's you and not me. Grandpa was always organising his antiques at home. Some of those stupid things were so heavy! I mean, probably not for you", he said admiringly, pointing towards all the luggage Inuyasha was carrying. Inuyasha grunted noncommittally. "So, do you live around here Inuyasha-san?"

"Yup. In the forest. My family has a longstanding agreement with the shrine. I'm a woodcutter and carpenter by trade, and I help maintain the forest on the shrine grounds."

"Really? That's pretty cool. So who else lives with you?"

"No one else. Just me." The short way Inuyasha answered that question had Souta quickly moving onto another, hopefully safer, topic of conversation.

"So, does anything dangerous live in the woods around here? Any bears?"

"No bears. Sika deer, tanuki, foxes. Lots of birds."

"Sweet! So I could go exploring by myself?"

"No!"

Souta looked at him in surprise. "I mean", said Inuyasha, thinking quickly, "there's lots of old fox holes, and there's a cave system with pitfalls. It's easy to get lost. I'd be happy to take you when I go on a patrol if you'd like."

Souta eyed him with a puzzled expression for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, I'd like that."

Inuyasha coughed. "So, uh, your sister told me that you do Kenjutsu after school. You still into that?"

"Yeah! Got the regional finals coming up soon. You do Kenjutsu too?"

"Not exactly, but I'm familiar with it. Probably enough to run through a kata with you if you need to practice while you're here."

Souta grinned at him. "Okay, you're on!" he said in a challenging tone. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him. "What, think I won't be able to keep up with you?" grinned Souta.

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh. If you're anything like your sister, you'll definitely keep me on my toes." He nodded, gesturing up the path with his chin, as his hands were full of luggage. "Shrine's just up ahead."

"Wow!"

They passed under the ancient Torii gate, and Souta looked curiously at the moss covered komainu statues, one either side of the path. "I've never seen ones like these before" he said, looking carefully at the stone guardian statue closest to him, inspecting the snarling fangs and pointed ears. "It doesn't look like a lion-dog."

"That's because it's an akita", said Inuyasha quietly. Souta glanced at him, looking at Inuyasha's own twitching ears, and then back at the statue's. Despite being worn by the weather and covered in moss, the pointed ears looked almost identical.

"Well, I guess you would know", replied Souta cheerfully, beginning to climb up the uneven stone steps. "I wish Grandpa had chosen a shrine without so many steps though."

Inuyasha following close behind with all the luggage. Souta seemed like a nice enough kid. But it wasn't him he was worried about. The conversation behind him had stilled to almost nothing, and it made him feel uneasy, especially with the waves of unhappiness he could feel coming off Kagome. Hopefully things would improve when they reached the shrine.

Kagome fretted as she watched Inuyasha climb the steep stairs in front of them easily, despite the multiple suitcases clutched in his hands. She should have spoken to her mother about her relationship with Inuyasha before they arrived, but she couldn't think of the best way to explain things over the phone, so she'd left it.

It had obviously been a bad call on her part, because her mother was suddenly being exceptionally polite, something she only did when she was upset. All of a sudden, the fears Inuyasha had, which she had thought unfounded, seemed to be a possibility. Kagome loved her mother, and she didn't want to do anything to cause her pain. But going back to Tokyo and leaving Inuyasha behind was not an idea she was willing to consider, no matter how upset her mother was.

"So what did the doctor say when you took your grandfather to be checked after his fall", said her mother suddenly, catching her by surprise.

"Uh, he didn't want to go, so I didn't take him. His cheek was bruised, but it healed quickly." Kagome chose not to mention that she'd used some of her reiki to help in the healing. There was no evidence of a bruise on Grandpa's cheek, and he looked healthier now than when he'd left Tokyo.

"Kagome!" her mother exclaimed, frowning at her. "Why on earth wouldn't you have taken him to be examined by someone! I know for a fact that there's a doctor's practice in the village!"

"Because he was fine Mama", Kagome soothed. "I checked him myself. No evidence of anything broken, no persistent headaches, no nausea, no sleepiness. He didn't want to go, and in my medical opinion it seemed…"

"But you are not a qualified medical professional Kagome!"

Kagome reeled back as if she'd been slapped, and Inuyasha's head whipped around, trying to control the low growl that he wanted to let loose at the barbed comment. Kagome's face was devoid of expression, but she radiated an aura of distress, her mother looked angry and upset, and he could scent a slight trace of tears coming from both women. Damn it. Souta cleared his throat.

"Just leave it Inuyasha-san", he whispered. "Anything we say at the moment will only make it worse. Mama isn't usually like this. She's usually pretty chill and it takes a lot to make her upset, but when she is…"

"Gotcha", Inuyasha answered, continuing to walk up the stairs with the luggage, breathing a sigh of relief when he heard Kagome and her mother begin following behind again. So far this wasn't the happy family visit Kagome had been expecting. He would do his best to help turn it around, but that might be a little difficult, when he was pretty sure he was part of the problem.

* * *

"Souta, this is for you." Inuyasha pushed the long rectangular box towards the excited teenager.

Souta pushed aside the teacup still in front of him so that it slopped a little on the table, and Kagome made an annoyed noise. She rose silently, clearing the table of plates and cups now that afternoon tea was finished, placing them in the sink ready to be washed later. She sat back down, smiling despite her worry at the excited bouncing of her younger brother.

"Cool!" exclaimed Souta. "I didn't know I was gonna get a present! Thanks Inuyasha-san!" He opened the hinged lid of the smooth wooden box and then gasped. "Oh wow!"

"I know red cedar is traditional for bokken", explained Inuyasha, scratching the back of his head self-consciously, "but this is made from isunoki. It's much stronger than cedar, and here in Kyushu it's considered to be lucky."

Souta picked up the wooden sword with two hands. The warm coloured wood had been buffed to a soft shine. In a contrast to the smooth plain wood of the bokken, the wooden tsuba was ornate, made of four interlocking pieces in different coloured woods, each separate piece carved with its own kanji, for luck, courage, perseverance and victory.

"I know it's probably heavier than the bokken you already have, because isunoki wood is so much denser, and I didn't have the exact regulation measurements, but I was thinking it would be okay for practicing…"

"This is an amazing gift Inuyasha-san", said Souta, tearing his delighted gaze away from the wood in his hands to the clearly uncomfortable half-demon sitting across from him. "Thankyou! Really, I like it very much. The other guys are gonna be so jealous when they know I have a bokken made out of isunoki wood!" He grinned at Inuyasha. "You want to spar with me later so I can get the feel of it?"

Inuyasha gave a relieved smile. "Sure, no problem." He took a deep breath, then pushed another present across the table, so that it stopped in front of Kagome's mother. "I made this for you Higurashi-san. Please accept my humble gift."

Kaori looked hard at the young man in front of her. His ears were lowered, almost flattened against his head, and she didn't need to be knowledgeable about inuyoukai body language to feel his trepidation. She was still angry, feeling hurt by Kagome's actions over the last two weeks. Refusing to come home, saying that she was now going to live at the shrine and abandon her studies, getting her university friends to pack up her belongings from her apartment to dump at her mother's house 'to be picked up later', re-letting the small apartment that they had so carefully chosen together as mother and daughter. And then to find out when they arrived that she was in a relationship with someone she'd only known for two weeks, but hadn't even had the decency to share the news with her mother? She felt like the close bond she shared with her daughter since her husband's death was being tested, stretched to the limit. This behaviour was totally out of character for her usually caring daughter. And she was sure this half-demon had a lot to do with it.

Her hand hovered over the cloth wrapped gift, hesitating. She could feel Kagome's angry eyes boring into the side of her face, but it wasn't her daughter's ire that made her lower her hand to unwrap the object on the table. It was the hardly audible whine that Inuyasha emitted and swallowed, a dark blush creeping up the tan skin of his neck. She couldn't help but soften her heart a little. She unwrapped the covering, a beautiful silk scarf, pale pink with a scattering of darker pink plum blossoms. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of the gift inside.

It was small hexagonal box, small enough to easily fit in her cupped hand. The base of the box was made of a dark wood, ebony perhaps, but it was the design on the lid that caught her attention. Nestled inside the dark edges of the hexagon shape was a kumiko pattern in a contrasting lighter wood. She had never seen anything so delicate. Tiny plum blossoms, each in their own hexagon; it was an exquisite work of craftsmanship.

"Did Kagome tell you I liked plum blossoms Inuyasha-san?" she asked softly, her finger tracing over the design.

"No." His voice was soft and hesitant. "They were my mother's favourite."

"I see. You are very talented. Thank you very much for the lovely gift."

Inuyasha bobbed his head, keeping his eyes downwards. "I was glad to make it for you."

The silence around the table stretched uncomfortably, until Grandpa suddenly got to his feet. "Please excuse me for a moment", he said, heading off down the hallway towards the bathroom. Souta got to his feet too, his new bokken clutched in his fist.

"Hey Inuyasha-san, do you want to come outside with me? I'd really like to test this out!"

Inuyasha's eyes flicked to Kagome, and she nodded, giving him a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be out there soon, I'm just going to do the washing up."

Kaori rose to her feet as well. "A good idea. I'll wash and you can dry Kagome." A wary expression flicked over Kagome's face, but was gone in an instant.

"Thanks, Mama."

There was silence in the kitchen for a while as the teacups were washed and dried, apart from the muffled whooping sound of Souta's voice filtering in the doorway from outside, and then the deeper baritone of Inuyasha's. Kagome's heart felt huge in her chest, and she longed to be outside with them. It hurt. She'd never wished to be apart from her mother before, but at the moment being at her side felt uncomfortable and strained.

"So, Kagome", said Mama, rinsing a dish and handing it to Kagome to dry. "You seem to have omitted that the beautiful scenery included a person. When were you going to tell me about Inuyasha?"

Kagome sighed, drying the plate carefully and stacking it with the others on the shelves Inuyasha had made. "I was going to Mama, but you were so upset last time we spoke on the phone. I didn't want you to get the wrong idea about him."

"And what would that be?"

Kagome put down the dish towel, and turned to face her mother. "I want you to understand. Inuyasha isn't the only reason that I'm deferring my studies. I met him on the first day I got here, and he helped me with Grandpa. It's true that I've grown to care for him, very much, but my main reason for staying has to do with the shrine. And there's also Grandpa. He wasn't doing so well when I arrived, but he's so happy to be here, back where he grew up."

"But you were so close to finishing Kagome", her mother reasoned. "Why not come back home and complete the semester. If you're still determined to look after Grandpa, you can come after you've completed your studies."

Kagome shook her head. "I need to stay. I've already spoken to my academic advisors; I can transfer my studies here to the local hospital, and still get my nursing degree. I haven't given up Mama, I've just changed my focus."

Mama slammed a cup down on the sink so hard that it cracked. "And you think your focus should be hiding yourself away in a tiny mountain shrine with an old man and some boy you fancy? Do you really think this is the best way to live your life?"

"Mama!"

Kaori bit her lip, then huffed out a deep breath, her fingers gripping the edge of the sink. "I'm trying to understand Kagome, really, but until two weeks ago, you were totally committed to your studies. You'd just moved out on your own and you were enjoying your life. And now…"

"No."

Mama pulled up short. "What do you mean, no?"

"I mean no, I wasn't enjoying my life." Kagome's grey eyes flashed as she stared down her mother, fists clenched by her sides. "I was committed to nursing, because it gave me a purpose, and a way to help people, which has always been important to me. But I never fit in, not really. I never felt like I belonged. Here I do. I belong here, with Grandpa and Inuyasha. I love him. He's desperate to prove himself to you Mama – and you're writing him off without even giving him a chance!"

Kagome stormed out of the kitchen, as Grandpa entered from the hallway, leaving her mother breathing heavily.

"What do you think about this?" Mama asked Grandpa, gesturing towards the window. Inuyasha and Souta were sparring outside – Inuyasha using the haft of his woodcutter's axe while Souta tested out his brand new bokken. When Kagome strode towards them, her fists clenched, Inuyasha paused and walked over to her, his hand coming up to caress her cheek, a troubled look on his face as his eyes and ears flicked back towards the house. Kagome shrugged and shook her head, and soon encouraged him and Souta to begin sparring again, cheering for both of them. "You can't tell me you are comfortable with how quickly this relationship has progressed?"

Grandpa chuckled. "Do I need to remind you how long it took for you to become engaged to my son Kaori? Less than two months, was it not?"

She had the grace to blush slightly.

"I do agree that it seems sudden to an outside eye. And if I'd had a say in it, an inuhanyou would not have been the life partner I would have chosen for my precious granddaughter. In fact I never thought I would meet anyone, human or otherwise, good enough for her." He sighed, watching the small group outside. "But, Inuyasha is. They belong together and he has proven himself to be more than worthy."

"Something happened up here, didn't it?" Kaori said, her eyes round with alarm. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm not at liberty to say – it is something larger than any of us", he replied with care. "But I will say that I would not be alive today without Inuyasha's bravery, and neither would Kagome. He saved both of us, without thought for his own safety."

He patted Mama's shoulder, trying to calm her look of dismay. "He is loyal, trustworthy; he may be half youkai, but his heart is pure. He worships her Kaori, and she loves him without reserve, and is fiercely protective of him. It will not go well if you try to force her to go back to Tokyo. She has found her place here. We both know she was never truly happy in the city after her father died. Since she met Inuyasha, I have seen her smile in a way that I never thought I would again."

"But her nursing career – she worked so hard!" Kaori cried, her lips trembling with suppressed emotion. "To just throw it away because of a boy! Why are you supporting this?!"

"Inuyasha is a man, not a boy, and Kagome has grown into a fine young woman. She is old enough now to make her own decisions, whether you agree with them or not", he said gently. "Just watch them while you are here. Maybe they'll open up to you and explain why Kagome should stay. Her place is here, with Inuyasha, and she has my support. I hope you will find it in your heart to give them your support too. It would mean a lot to them both."

Grandpa moved away from the window, and left Mama alone to her thoughts. She watched as her son and daughter combined their efforts to crash tackle Inuyasha, dropping him to the ground. She smiled despite her misgivings as her daughter grinned victoriously, pinning his legs with her weight and tickling his ribs as Souta cheered her on. Inuyasha's deep laugh was infectious as he held up his hands in a universal sign of defeat, even though it was patently obvious he could have thrown Kagome off at any time, and Mama couldn't help chuckling at their antics.

Very well then. She would watch and wait. Her father-in-law's opinion held a lot of weight with her; she had never forgotten the way that he had stood by her in her time of need when her husband had died. But she still had her reservations. She picked up the silk scarf and small wooden box, running her finger over the delicate pattern of plum blossoms again. Perhaps if she spoke to Inuyasha alone, it would give her some insight into why her daughter had fallen in love with him so quickly. If this is what Kagome truly wanted, she needed her own proof that Inuyasha deserved her.

* * *

"Oh, Inuyasha, would you mind helping me carry this futon out to be aired? It's a little heavy."

Inuyasha's ears twitched, then lowered, as he saw the determined look on Kagome's mother's face. He'd only dropped in to let Kagome know he was about to go out and patrol the perimeter of the shrine grounds, but it seemed Kaori had finally found a chance to corner him when Kagome was absent. He sniffed the air surreptitiously and flicked his ears to locate Kagome; she was busy helping her Grandfather sweep the shrine.

He sighed. Perhaps it was for the best. In the five days they'd stayed here, Kagome's mother had been polite, pleasant even, but he still got the impression that he was on probation, and it would only take one misstep for him to be relegated to persona non grata.

"Of course Higurashi-san. Where would you like me to carry it?"

"Oh, just out to the clothesline. And then maybe we could go on a short walk. It seems a shame to waste a beautiful day. If you didn't mind, I would really love to see some more of your joinery work. The kitchen is so well made, and the box that you gave me truly is a work of art."

He sighed again, then took a deep breath. "It would be my pleasure."

The conversation as they walked down the mountain on the main path was polite but stilted, with Inuyasha on high alert, constantly second guessing every word he said. Without the calming presence of Kagome he felt adrift and unsure. So much of his recent life had been spent avoiding any social interaction, and he felt awkward, sure he was saying the wrong thing.

Kaori smiled at Inuyasha's fumbling words. She'd observed him carefully over the last few days, trying to put aside any unfair reservations she may have built based on her hurt feelings with Kagome, and she actually liked him.

He was rough around the edges, to be sure, but he was helpful, attentive to both her daughter and her father-in-law's needs. He'd rough housed with Souta every afternoon before dinner, and that was when he seemed to be most at ease, his voice teasing Kagome and Souta, his half demon heritage giving him the stamina to keep up with her younger son in a way many men his age couldn't, or wouldn't.

His attitude to her father-in-law was amusing – a mixture of physical deference and vocal disrespect. Their word sparring matches actually seemed to give the older man energy – there was a spring in his step that had been absent for a long time. They obviously cared about each other in their own fashion.

And he clearly adored Kagome. When she'd had a nightmare two night ago, Kaori had been amazed by the fact that Inuyasha had somehow heard her and turned up on their doorstep in the middle of the night to comfort her. That hug that he'd given Kagome before heading off to his own home again had a lot of emotion behind it, and she had the gut feeling that her and Souta's presence had put a dampener on the physical side of their new relationship. She didn't consider that a totally bad thing. Being kept apart a little would test their feelings, and there didn't seem to be any abatement on either side.

It was only with her that Inuyasha was still subdued. She had no doubt it was to do with her attitude on the first day, and she fully intended to apologise to him, now that she had got to see him interact with her daughter. But it still felt like she knew very little about him.

They arrived at what seemed to be a broken down little house, and she was taken aback. Surely, he didn't live here! Knowing how Kagome felt about him, there must be some mistake – Kagome would never allow someone she cared about to live in a hovel like this! Her eyes flicked to Inuyasha, who had bowed his head respectfully.

He cleared his throat. "My apologies Higurashi-san, but I need to hold your hand."

"My hand?" The blush currently flooding his cheeks made her want to giggle, but she knew he would probably take it the wrong way, so she swallowed her mirth.

"Uh, there's a protective kitsune illusion on my home. Unless I'm holding some part of you physically the first time you step into it, you won't be able to see the house as it truly is."

"I see." She held out her hand, and was surprised at the size of Inuyasha's as it curved around hers gently. They stepped forward and she felt a warm glow flood over her. Blinking, she looked at the house again, and was very much relieved to see its improved appearance.

"How lovely! Is this a minka house?"

Inuyasha nodded, letting go of her hand and hurrying forward to open the door. "My family has lived in this area for a very long time." He pushed the screens back, allowing sunlight to flood the dark room. Kaori looked around in delight. The high beams, the decorated screens, the fresh clean tatami mats, the sunken hearth with the iron kettle suspended over it – this was not just a house, it was a home. It felt very welcoming and she smiled at Inuyasha.

"Thank you for inviting me in Inuyasha. Your home is truly beautiful. Did you do all the kumiko work on the lanterns and screens?"

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah that's mine. My main work is looking after the woods here on shrine property, but I supplement my income doing this sorta stuff. A guy in the village sells it for me. I'm a bit behind where I usually would be at the moment; I've been busy fixing the kitchen up at the shrine house for the last little while."

"Hmmm. No one seems to be able to tell me exactly why the kitchen needed replacing. Could you tell me Inuyasha?"

His ears flattened immediately, and his eyes flicked away from hers. "Uh… water leak?"

"Kagome told me it was due to a fat fire on the stove. And Kenshin had the audacity to try and make me believe it was due to some sort of rabbit plague."

Inuyasha groaned. That old git was the absolute worst at coming up with excuses. And he shoulda thought to ask Kagome what she had told her mother, dammit. He grinned at Kaori weakly, shrugging his shoulders. It was an unsettling thought, especially for a half-demon standing next to a human, but suddenly he felt like their roles had been reversed; that this petite woman was the apex predator, and he was next on the menu.

The smile she gave him as he looked at her nervously raised the hairs on the back of his neck. "Inuyasha my dear, I think it's time we had a talk. Do you have any tea?"

* * *

Kagome's heart was in her mouth as she ran breathlessly down the mountain path towards Inuyasha's house. She'd come back from the shrine, expecting to find Mama in the kitchen where she'd left her. But Souta had told her that Mama and Inuyasha had gone for a walk together. Just the two of them. Alone. She'd done her best over the past few days to be a buffer between them, knowing that Inuyasha felt uncertain around her mother, and that her mother's usually mild manners concealed a persistent interrogator that could make anyone crack when she wanted answers to questions.

She burst through the illusion surrounding Inuyasha's home, now able to hear soft voices; the deep rumble of Inuyasha's voice, and the softer tones of her mother's. Wait was she crying? Still breathing hard, she paused in the doorway, only to see her mother with tears dripping down her face into the delicate teacup clutched in her hands, and Inuyasha awkwardly patting her shoulder. Both their faces turned to her as she stepped into the room; her mother's face tearful and Inuyasha's extremely relieved.

"Mama?"

"Kagome, why didn't you tell me the truth about what happened! Of course you're meant to stay here!" Her mother launched herself at her, wrapping her up in a tight hug.

Kagome patted her on the back, mouthing almost silently at Inuyasha, "How much did you tell her?!"

He shrugged, a soft smile on his face as he watched Kaori softly stroking Kagome's hair. "Everything. I told her everything."


	11. Epilogue - Part Two

_An author's note. This chapter does include an implied sex scene, where most of the action happens 'off camera' to meet with FF guidelines. If you're old enough to read the whole shebang, you can also read this fic on my AO3 profile, where it has an Explicit rating. And you'll also be able to see Clearwillow's amazing artwork! So, back to the story..._

* * *

Afternoon tea back at the shrine was a much more cheerful affair than it had been on previous days. Kagome had decided to explain everything to Souta too, feeling that it wouldn't be fair to leave him out of the loop now that Mama knew.

"So does that mean that you guys are engaged?" asked Souta. Inuyasha looked toward Kagome, the corner of his mouth ticking up in a slow smile.

"Uh, we haven't discussed it officially yet. But, in demon terms, Kagome is my chosen. So I guess the answer is yes." He nearly fell backwards off the chair as Kagome crash tackled him in a violent hug, her arms wrapped so tightly around his neck that he could hardly breathe. Mama clapped delightedly, Grandpa smiled fondly, and Souta rolled his eyes.

Inuyasha pressed a chaste kiss to Kagome's mouth, then turned her around so she was sitting sideways on his lap. He looked seriously at Mama and Grandpa. "Do I have your permission to court and marry Kagome?"

Mama's eyes filled with happy tears and Grandpa cleared his throat. "Yes you do son. I could think of no one better."

Mama wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Your babies are going to be beautiful", she sighed. "And we can have the wedding here at the shrine. There's no other Higurashi family apart from us. Do you have family I should send an invitation to Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha snorted. "My only family is my half-brother, and he's a prick, so no." Souta laughed out loud, and Kagome slapped him hard on the shoulder. "What?!" he said, one eyebrow raised at the irritated expression on Kagome's face. "He is a prick."

"Okay, so just us then", said Mama, a pleased smile on her face. "Grandpa can marry you, and we'll do it whenever you feel ready."

Souta was bouncing impatiently on his seat at the table. "Yeah okay, this whole soul bond thing is cool and all but let's get back to details. Are you telling me that Inuyasha has a giant axe!? And you can shoot arrows like missiles?!"

"I guess? Yes?"

"I gotta see this! Can you guys show me?"

"Souta" said Kagome, speaking slowly and carefully, "this can't be known outside the shrine. It's not something you can brag to your friends about, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I totally understand that. But c'mon, please?" he whined. "You can't tell me about something as cool as that and not show me!"

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and he shrugged. "I don't see why not. As long as it's nowhere near the back of the shrine."

They all decided to go. Grandpa interested because he'd never actually seen them in action, due to the rather unfortunate aspects of being either possessed or unconscious, Mama eager to see the physical representation of their combined guardianship, and Souta just wanting to see impressive fireworks. Kagome stopped off at the shrine storage room to pick up her bow and quiver, and they trudged out into the woods a little.

Inuyasha rolled his shoulders, grabbing the untransformed axe from the holster on his back and swinging it hand over hand, infusing it with youki. He grinned at Souta's surprised yelp at the size of Tessaiga.

"You ready to put on a show Higurashi? he grinned, winking at Kagome.

'Always, dog boy" she grinned back. "What am I aiming at? You?"

He rolled his eyes. "That joke got old the first time you told it. Nah, see that tree over there?"

"The tall cedar with the dead branches?"

"Yup. I need to fell it anyway, so we may as well do it in style."

Inuyasha motioned for Grandpa, Mama and Souta to step well back, and he and Kagome stood beside one another. He pulled on his youki, feeling it build up in the Tessaiga, and he whirled it around his head, then let the haft slip through his hand so it swung out to its full extension, sending a sharp blast of bright yellow youki towards the tree. At the same moment he heard Kagome whisper, "hit the mark" and her arrow followed his blast, trailing a long pink tail like a phoenix. The energy twisted around each other, gathering in speed as it approached the tree, then swirling around it so it lit up in a haze of neon pink and yellow.

There was a silent explosion. Inuyasha steadied Kagome as the backlash hit, Mama braced herself and Grandpa, and Souta fell down on his behind.

"Where's the tree?!" called out Souta in amazement. Where there was once a very tall, very solid tree, there was now nothing.

"Do ya think we overdid it?" asked Inuyasha nonchalantly, squeezing the Tessaiga in his fist so it reverted and pushing it back in its holster.

Kagome balanced her bow on her shoulder, and held up her thumb and forefinger close together. "Just a smidge", she joked.

Mama and Grandpa clapped behind them, and Souta whistled.

"That was fucking awesome!" he yelled out to Kagome and Inuyasha, only to have his ear firmly pinched by Mama. "Well, it was!" he groused, pulling his head away.

Kagome glanced towards Inuyasha. He'd pretty much just asked her to marry him in a roundabout way, and she wanted to kiss him. Badly. Since Mama and Souta had been here, they'd kept their physical interactions very casual, not wanting to upset her, but now her whole body ached for him. Inuyasha's nose twitched, as he glanced towards her, raising an eyebrow. He grinned lazily, one fang poking out over his lip.

"Uh, would it be okay if Kagome and I did a patrol? We haven't really done one all week, and…"

Mama shooed her hands at them. "Off you go then. Souta can help me prepare dinner. We'll see you at the house when you get back." The three of them started off towards the shrine, but were nearly bowled over by a fleet footed inuhanyou, with a human girl firmly clinging to his back. Souta gasped in amazement as Inuyasha leaped into the trees, bounding from treetop to treetop – in a matter of moments they were out of sight.

"Come on Souta, I need you to pull some carrots for me from the vegetable patch."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, Inuyasha is gonna be my brother now. Do you think he'd take me on his back for a run like he just did for Kagome?"

"We'll have to wait and see son", smiled Mama. "But I'm thinking at the moment, his mind is on other things."

Souta's teenage brain put two and two together. "Ugh" he said, wrinkling his nose. "Gross."

* * *

Kagome's bow and quiver clattered to the ground as Inuyasha's lips swooped down, capturing her mouth in a kiss that spoke of desire and need. There was nothing chaste about these kisses, now they didn't have an audience. They were needy, insatiable. Sensation pummelled Kagome from every direction until she lost all sense of balance. All she could do was let the tree behind her take her weight and cling to Inuyasha, open to feeling his questing mouth and his demanding hands. The occasional brush of stubble. The roughness of the tree bark behind her. The deep growl rumbling in his throat as she nibbled and then softly bit his lower lip before opening her mouth as he teased her lips apart. The coolness of the breeze on her skin as it caressed the damp trails left by his heated tongue. The touch of a mouth that promised her heaven and hands that sent delight dancing along the surface of her skin wherever they travelled.

A soft groan escaped Kagome's already kiss-bruised lips as one of Inuyasha's hands slid to the small of her back and tugged her in tight against him, swinging them around so his back was against the tree; the other slipped to the nape of her neck. She felt his fingers weave through the length of her hair, then tug it back so that her neck lay bare to him.

She arched against him, moaning her need as he broke off to press a series of drugging kisses to her neck. She shifted against him, wishing she was taller so that she could grind their hips together, impatient and searching. Warmth swirled in the pit of her belly and blossomed lower as he pushed his strong thigh between her legs, urging her to move against him. Her knees started to tremble as her hips circled and he rumbled his approval. She could feel the pads of his fingers tracing over the thin fabric of her t-shirt from her shoulder to her collarbone, dipping down to the swell of her breast. She arched into his hand, her body longing for more, and Inuyasha hummed, squeezing the soft flesh with eager fingers.

"I've missed you so much Kagome", he growled. "You don't know what it was doin' to me, seein' you every day and not bein' able to touch you like I wanted. Now that I have your Mama's blessing, I want to be yours." Inuyasha's chest rumbled an insistent purr as he sent open mouthed kisses down her throat, sucking lightly on her pulse point. "Totally yours. And I want you to be mine – I don't want to wait any longer. Will you give yourself to me baby?"

Kagome stiffened at his words.

_"Give it to me. Give yourself to me. You never know, little baby… you may even enjoy it."_

She blinked rapidly as her eyesight blurred. It was dark. She was in the dark. She'd never get out. She'd never be found. So cold. She was trapped. She stretched out her hands, expecting the emptiness of a never ending void, but instead they pushed against something warm. It was soft to the touch, slightly fuzzy. Her hands scrabbled, trying to verify the solidity and found hard round objects in a vertical line under her questing fingertips, a smooth contrast to the softness. There was something tangible there, and she nearly sobbed in relief. Warmth covered her hands, interlacing between her fingers. And there was a voice – not the harsh sibilant whisper of _his_ voice, but another. So much warmer. It pleaded with her, asking her to come back. More warmth stroked against her cheek, and suddenly glowing amber pierced the darkness. Warm eyes. _Inuyasha's eyes._

The soft sounds of the forest snapped back into focus and surrounded her; twittering birds, the wind in the trees, and she felt the warmth of the late afternoon sun on her shoulders. She gasped in a deep breath, the backs of her eyes burning, throat constricting as she tried to swallow the heavy choke of panic. Her heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to calm down, her fingers twisting in Inuyasha's shirt.

"Kagome, what's wrong! Did I do something to frighten you? Tell me, please! Talk to me!" He was panicking; it was the same expression he'd had on his face the moment before she'd run from him towards Naraku on the battlefield.

"I'm sorry", she whimpered. "You said… give yourself to me… and called me that word, the word he used, and it was like I was back there in the dark. I'm so sorry."

Inuyasha frantically thought back through what he'd said. He'd only called her by her name, hadn't he? Did he call her anything else? Wait, had he called her baby? Then he remembered. That night in the kitchen, when Naraku still had possession of her Grandfather's body, when he'd been taunting her. He'd called her a little baby miko, put a lot of emphasis on the word baby. He must have used that word while she was fighting him, trapped in her body. But how the fuck was he to know not to call her that – she wouldn't talk to him about it! He didn't want to pressure her, but how could he avoid this happening again if he didn't know what not to say? It was like tiptoeing blindfold through a minefield.

"I won't use that word again", he said softly, his heart clenching at the waves of fear rolling off her, the sour scent burning his nose. "I didn't know Kagome, but I won't do it again." He grasped both her hands in his and held her fingers up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles softly. "C'mon, I'll take you back to the shrine."

Kagome shook her head vehemently. "No, no, I want to stay with you. I'm sorry I ruined things. Please Inuyasha!" Her voice was tiny and brittle, and he breathed out a heavy sigh.

"Kagome. I'm not going to force you to tell me what happened love. I'm here for you, for as long as you want me. Nothing will change that. And if someday you're ready to tell me about it, I'm here to listen. Or it's fine if you never tell me at all. That's totally up to you. I'm just worried that I'll say the wrong thing again, or touch you in a way that will frighten you. That's the last thing that I would ever want."

"When you touch me, it pushes the darkness away", she whispered, her grey eyes locked on his. "I feel warm when I'm in your arms, not cold like it was in the dark. Please… touch me more. Kiss me… please Inuyasha, I need your kisses. I need you. I've missed you too." Amber eyes blazed at her pleading, and she shivered, not in fear but in anticipation.

She'd seen that look in his eyes before. She knew what it meant. He was going to kiss her, and her own lips parted slightly, ready again for the heady abuse of his. Except he bypassed her mouth entirely and lowered his head to the side of her neck again, working his way lower. His sharp canine teeth scraped lightly across the spot where her pulse was hammering so crazily that she was sure he could feel it with his lips. Then he was moving lower, stopping only when he reached the point where the open collar of her V-neck t-shirt ended. He buried his nose in the softness between her breasts, a rumbling purr vibrating through his chest appreciatively, as the acrid stench of fear began to clear from her scent to be replaced by the heady musk of desire. His strong tongue slowly burrowed into her cleavage, licking a line of heat, and Kagome's fingers delved into his thick choppy hair, reaching to massage around the base of his ears. He groaned.

"Stay with me tonight", he muttered hoarsely, his rasping tone slightly muffled by the way his face was pressed into her chest. "Please Kagome. We don't need to do anything you don't want to. I just want to hold you, wake up next to you. I need you."

"Let me just let Mama and Grandpa know, so they don't worry." She fished her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and typed out a quick text message to her mother, squirming as Inuyasha continued his licking assault of her uncovered skin, making it deliciously hard to concentrate on typing. It was such a relief now that Mama knew why she needed to stay by Inuyasha's side, and the unbreakable bond they shared. A few moments later her phone pinged with a return message, and she felt a blush tinge her cheeks. "Oh my God! Mama!" She felt Inuyasha grin against the softness of her skin.

"What'd she say? Show me." Inuyasha snorted as he lifted his head to read the text.

_Good. Thanks for letting me know. We won't expect you and Inuyasha until lunch tomorrow then. Have fun! ;)_

"Looks like we've got plenty of time on our hands then", he chuckled. "C'mon, I'll make you dinner first." He bent down to pick up her bow and quiver, then interlaced their fingers as they started off towards his house.

"You don't have to do that Inuyasha."

"You cook for me all the time Kagome. I want to." He shrugged. "It's a inuyoukai thing. I wanna take care of you."

She squeezed his fingers. "It's a human thing too. You know I enjoy cooking for you. Besides, it's nice to cook for such an appreciative eater", she teased, swinging his arm playfully. "Are there any other 'inuyoukai things' I should know about?"

Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion. "I dunno. I'm not exactly experienced in this sort of thing. I never thought I'd have anyone."

"Well, now you've got me. Forever and ever. Is that okay?" she grinned.

"Better than okay, and you know it", he grumbled. "Stop fishin' for compliments, cheeky wench."

* * *

Kagome rested contentedly on the floor cushion that she'd sat on a mere two weeks ago, the night her world had turned upside down. It was no time at all when weighed against the previous years of her life up until that point, and yet it seemed like in those two weeks she'd grown so much. She felt like a different person, one who knew her place in the world, and what she was capable of. She'd also experienced true darkness, and it had shaken her to the core. She pushed that thought firmly away. Alongside the darkness, she'd also found love, someone who had touched her soul and found her worthy; she allowed that thought to fill her with hope.

It was comforting watching Inuyasha prepare dinner for them over the firepit. Something about it seemed warmer, more wholesome than cooking over a stove in a kitchen. As soon as the stock and udon noodles were simmering in the cast iron pot, he dropped in mushrooms, carrots and chopped cabbage, then added the paper thin sliced pork. It seemed like bashing things with an overly large axe wasn't his only hidden talent; he could also cook. She snorted at that thought. Of course he could cook, he'd lived alone for years. It wasn't fine dining, but it was filling and hearty, and it smelt delicious.

She smiled as he handed her a pair of chopsticks and a deep bowl filled to the brim, and paused to sniff appreciatively before beginning to eat.

Inuyasha watched as she took the first mouthful of the pork – it was tender and succulent, and she immediately fished around in her bowl for another piece.

"So, it's okay?" he asked, trying to look indifferent to her opinion, but failing dismally.

She nodded; her mouth full. "Mmmm, s'good."

He sighed in relief. "You're the first person I've ever cooked for."

Kagome swallowed, smiling at the pleased expression on his face. "Well, I hope it won't be the last time you cook for me. It's yummy!"

For a while, the only sounds in the room were those of chopsticks clinking against the bowls, and the slurping sounds that always accompanied eating udon noodles. The room was lit by a rosy glow as the sun began to set behind the mountain. Inuyasha moved to power the lamps lit by fox fire before the darkness could dominate the room. Kagome was chasing the last piece of succulent pork with her chopsticks when Inuyasha asked a question.

"So, how would ya feel about takin' a bath with me when you've finished dinner?"

Kagome swallowed the wrong way, then coughed and spluttered. Inuyasha moved quickly to pat her on the back.

"So I take it that's a no?", he teased.

Kagome shook her head. "You just surprised me, that's all. Do you mean in the hot spring?"

"Well, yeah, it's the only bath I got."

She smiled shyly. "I'd like that." She took a deep breath. "But first, I want to talk to you."

His ears twitched, lowering slightly. "Sounds serious. Should I be worried?" She shook her head.

"No, I don't think so, but I don't think it will be easy." She couldn't help the nervous hitch in her breath. "I want to talk to you about what happened that night, when Naraku possessed my body. Maybe that way I can finally put it behind me."

Inuyasha dropped down into a crouch next to her, and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. "If you're sure that's what you want?" Kagome nodded, raising her chin in the way he'd come to recognise as intense determination, and he smiled softly. "Thank you, Kagome, for trusting me. Will I make some tea?" She nodded again, putting her own bowl down, all her appetite suddenly gone, and helped Inuyasha carry the plates over to his small kitchen area as he filled the tea kettle.

Once the washing up was done and they were sitting back down again, Inuyasha watched as Kagome twisted nervously on the cushion, her eyes darting anywhere around the room to avoid his gaze, teacup clutched in her hands. An intense wave of déjà vu rushed over him. This was just like the night they first met, the night they battled Naraku. And in a way, Kagome was going into battle again, against memories of that night still hurting her. And he would be there for her, any way he could.

"C'mere you."

This time as he dragged her into his lap, she immediately snuggled in against him, and he let an affectionate rumble build in his chest to vibrate against her. "Whenever you're ready. We've got all the time in the world."

Kagome burrowed her face into his chest. "Why is this so difficult? I can usually tell you anything, but talking about this is so hard! It's like I can't let it go!"

"Maybe don't think of it like that", he rumbled softly, his warm breath ruffling her hair. "It's something you've been carrying by yourself for a while. You're really strong Kagome, but even the strongest person gets tired carrying something alone." He stroked her hair gently, running his clawed fingers through the dark strands, his chin resting on top of her head. "It's still your memory. I promise I won't dispute it, or judge the way it makes you feel. Just let me help you carry it, love."

She snuggled into his arms, hiding her face. She didn't want it to be a memory at all, but was forced to remember, every time she had a nightmare. Today she had been triggered into practically reliving it while she was awake. Something had to change. She was afraid of Naraku, and she was worried that it would eventually affect her ability to sustain the barrier, that it already was. She needed to overcome this. Inuyasha's rumbling chest was calming. Nothing could happen to her when she was here with him in his home, safely hidden away behind the kitsune illusion.

"It was dark", she began hesitantly. "I've never told you, but I've always been frightened of the dark, ever since I was a little girl." Inuyasha said nothing, but stroked her back, to show he was listening. "But this dark was like nothing I'd ever experienced – it was viscous, syrupy, like it had a life of its own. I couldn't feel myself at all, and it terrified me. And then _he_ came."

Inuyasha's rumbling intensified a little, and Kagome looked downwards to where her fingers were twisting themselves into knots. "You know that moment when our souls touched? That night we met, when we accepted each other?" She felt Inuyasha's cheek moving against her hair. "That feeling was wonderful. Your soul felt like sunshine, like it pushed away any shadows and I felt so warm. I've never felt closer to anyone Inuyasha; it was beautiful." Inuyasha's large hands folded around hers, his fingers stroking to calm the erratic movement.

She shuddered. "This was nothing like that. He touched me and it felt like… _wrongness_. I hadn't asked for it, didn't want it, and I immediately felt unclean, like he'd somehow made my soul dirty. And he kept talking, trying to make me give up, kept stroking me with his horrible energy. I was doing my best to gather my reiki, using it as a barrier against him, trying to be ready to attack him as soon as you attacked from the outside. And he kept talking about Kikyou, how we were alike, and that he'd broken her, and he'd break me too." Tears began running down Kagome's cheeks, and Inuyasha rocked her, increasing the rumbling sounds from his chest, releasing her hands to hold her tightly against him.

"I was so worried about you Inuyasha", she sobbed. "I was worried that she would attack you – I felt her reiki, and it was all twisted, and I was sure it would hurt you. And you were already so injured. I was worried you were going to bleed out without me there to help you. And I didn't know if you'd realise that it wasn't me attacking you, and I wanted to warn you, more than anything, but I knew if let down the barrier Naraku would win. I had to trust you, like Midoriko said. But it was so _hard_."

Inuyasha squeezed her, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "Of course I knew it wasn't you, stupid." He sighed. "Kikyou wasn't trying to attack me, not deliberately anyway. She was just confused, thinking that I was _her_ Inuyasha. I let her believe that so we could get back to the stone. I was so worried about you bein' stuck in there with Naraku. I kept thinking of you, and I slipped up and almost said your name. That was when she tried to hurt me, so we jumped through the barrier in the stone, and I let loose my youki."

Kagome nodded, taking a deep breath. "I was so happy when I felt that, it was like a burst of light that I could see even in the darkness. It proved to me that you were alive, that you weren't so injured that you couldn't fight back. It gave me so much hope." She rubbed her cheek against his chest. "And as soon as he felt it too, Naraku went crazy."

The hand on Kagome's back stilled. "What do you mean, crazy?" Inuyasha asked softly.

She shook her head as she remembered. Usually when she got to this part of her memory, she was terrified, but sitting in Inuyasha's embrace, she was pleased to find that her terror had subsided somewhat. She gathered her thoughts, trying to put what had happened into words. "He tried to drown me. I can't think of any other way to explain it. Before that, his energy was like fingers, trying to prise cracks in my barrier. As soon as you attacked, it was like I was being suffocated in it, like being sucked into tar so deep that you'd never be able to break free of it before you ran out of air. He was screaming in rage – the noise, it was so loud. And it was so cold. I honestly didn't think I was going to survive it. I thought I would never see you again."

"Kagome…"

"Midoriko helped me. She helped me channel my reiki - I don't think I would have managed it without her. I was able to push back so he was trapped between our two energies. And it meant that I was able to escape from his hold when you pulled us both through the other side of the barrier, and seal it behind me so he couldn't follow us. I even managed to grab onto the fragment of Kikyou's soul, so she wasn't left behind. But it took everything I had."

Kagome reached out to touch one of the buttons on Inuyasha's shirt, her finger circling the hard edge. "I was so tired. I almost forgot who I was. It was like there was nothing left of me and I was floating in the dark. But then I remembered your voice. You said… you were proud of me. And I knew I had to come back to you."

Something hot and wet dripped onto the back of Kagome's neck, and she flinched, looking upwards in surprise. Inuyasha blinked his eyes rapidly to dispel the tears that had gathered there, and Kagome reached up to catch one on her fingertip, where it sat, shimmering like a pearl.

"I _am_ proud of you", he said in a hoarse voice. "And I will never stop being proud of you, ever."

The kiss he gave her was wet, dampened by both their tears, but filled with passion. He pulled back to lick the tears off her cheeks, and she giggled.

"Inuyasha, that tickles! What are you doing?"

He continued licking her face, pausing to kiss her every now and then. "Don't like the smell of your tears so I'm cleaning it away", he admitted. "It makes me feel like I haven't done enough to protect you when you cry."

"Tears can be happy too, you know", she whispered.

"If I ever make you so happy you cry, I promise I won't lick those away", he said softly, nuzzling into her neck. "Do you still feel up to taking a bath, or do you want to go to sleep?"

"A bath sounds nice", she said, leaning against his chest. She tried to remember what the bath house looked like, but could only remember a dark room on the way to the dojo. "Are there lanterns in there too?"

"Yup. And I can bring in some extras if you want. Make it as bright as daylight."

Kagome suddenly had a mental image of Inuyasha shucking off his clothes and standing in a brightly lit room while she watched. "I'm sure whatever is already there will be fine", she squeaked.

"Reeeeally?", he teased with a fanged grin, noticing her slightly embarrassed expression. "It's no trouble."

She shook her head and he let it go, taking her hand to lead her to the bathhouse, pausing momentarily to grab some towels and shirts and boxers for them to change into for sleeping after.

* * *

Kagome fished a hair band out of her shorts pocket, and piled her hair up on top of her head, securing it in a loose bun. She took off her socks, and was about to turn her back and start on her t-shirt when her eyes were arrested by the sight of Inuyasha still facing her, taking off his clothes without a care.

He unbuttoned his shirt, dumping it on the floor next to him, then peeled off his undershirt, his pointed ears twitching a little as they came free of the white stretch fabric. That feeling of heat churned in her stomach, and her eyes took in his muscular form. The arch of his neck, the width of his shoulders, the tensing of muscles in his arms as he moved. His movements were always so graceful, even for something as simple as undressing. She wanted to reach out and touch him, stroke her fingers and explore each little dip and hill of his torso. Unconsciously, she licked her lips, then flicked her eyes upwards, flinching when his amber eyes caught hers. Kagome squeaked. He had caught her staring, but he didn't blush or turn away in embarrassment as Kagome herself would have.

A sly grin crossed his face, and he began undressing slower, unbuttoning his loose jeans and peeling them away from his slim hips, his eyes locked on hers the entire time. His fingers hooked in front of his tight stretch boxers, gradually pulling them down until he stood in front of her entirely naked.

He approached Kagome slowly wearing nothing but a fanged grin, and she couldn't help but devour him with her eyes, her breathing speeding up as he got closer. His tight, lean muscles. Dark tanned skin. Amber eyes gleaming in the semi-darkness.

"If your face gets any redder, I might just have ta toss you into the spring before you burst into flame", he teased. He tugged at the hem of her shirt, hinting that he wanted it gone. "Need some help with this, slowpoke?"

Wordlessly, she held her arms above her head and allowed him to remove it.

* * *

Kagome giggled, flopping her weight against the futon. She couldn't ever remember feeling so relaxed, so sated. Their first time had been beyond amazing. And the way their energies had combined at the crucial moment – she had thought she loved Inuyasha before, but now she felt like she had truly found her other half, like she'd been wondering around up until now incomplete.

"Now I know three things you're good at" she grinned at him tiredly as she interlaced their fingers, her chest still rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh yeah?" he said, dropping soft kisses onto her knuckles.

"Hitting things with the Tessaiga, cooking, and making me come."

He snorted at her, and she giggled at the lustful glint in his eye as he pulled her into his arms.

"I think the last one is my favourite. But it's a new skill, so you know what that means, yeah?"

"What?"

"Daily practice. For a couple of hours at least. Until I get really good at it."

She swatted at his shoulder as he snickered at her wide eyed expression. "Seriously Inuyasha, if you got any better at it, I think I would die! I've never come so hard before. You don't need any practice, believe me."

"So, you're telling me I'm just naturally talented then?" he grinned, leaning down to blow raspberries into her neck then nuzzling against her. He sighed; his breath hot against her neck. "I still can't believe this is real."

"Hmm?"

"I'd resigned myself to living a lonely life until I was old, until it was time to pass on the guardianship to someone else. But now…"

"Me too", she whispered. "I never thought I would ever feel like I belonged anywhere, to anyone. And then I found you." She snuggled into him, trying not to yawn, but failing dismally.

"You sound like you need to sleep."

Kagome nuzzled against his chest. "Wanna stay awake with you", she smiled sleepily, her fingers drawing lazy patterns on his hard muscular chest.

"Don't worry", he said soothingly. "I promise I'll be here to chase away the nightmares. I won't let him frighten you anymore."

"It's okay", she murmured her eyes closing. "I think I'm gonna be okay."

"Of course you are – you're a bad ass guardian Higurashi."

Inuyasha felt her smile as she nuzzled into his chest. "Love you, adorable jerk."

He tightened his hold on her. It was dark outside now, but he knew their future together was filled with bright promise, and he couldn't help the lazy grin that split his face, before he closed his own eyes.

"Love you too, cheeky wench."

* * *

"You sure you wanna do this?"

"Uh huh".

When Kagome had awoken early that morning, Inuyasha had been quick to enthusiastically prove his new-found skills were not a fluke. He'd been a little disappointed that this time there wasn't the huge combined rush of their spiritual energies, but Kagome had guessed that maybe that was only a first time thing, perhaps like a stronger version of the soul touch. She had cooked them a simple breakfast, and then they'd had another bath in the hot spring, _just_ a bath this time, splashing and joking around. After they got dressed, Kagome had said she wanted to go to Hogeto Rock to strengthen the barrier, instead of doing it from the honden at the shrine.

She gazed up at the ancient cedar trees surrounding the black volcanic rock. Small birds flitted in and out of the branches, and the breeze drifting through the needle-like leaves made a sound like the sea. The morning sunlight streamed downwards, cutting in between the thick trunks in bright beams. She'd expected to feel terrified, her first time back here since that night, but she didn't. This place didn't feel good or bad. It felt neutral. Good and Evil balanced.

Inuyasha moved behind her to place his hands on her shoulders, squeezing to let her know he was right there, although it was unnecessary. Ever since they'd made love last night, she could feel where he was instinctively, just as she knew the position of the sun in the sky without looking directly at it. His warmth enveloped her, keeping her calm and focused.

She shifted her gaze downwards towards the rock. The ground around it was torn up and covered in dark soot, as if it had been charred by a sudden fire. Cold emanated from the black stone, and the sunbeams cutting through the trees seemed to somehow go around it, so it remained pure black. The wind passing through the opening made a mournful sound, but she was no longer afraid.

She reached out her arms, palms facing towards the stone, and pushed with her reiki, not aggressively, but gently, allowing it to drift around the stone, covering it entirely. The stone glowed pink, then the energy disappeared into the rock's surface, as if sinking into deep water.

"All done."

"You feelin' okay?" asked Inuyasha. Up until now, he'd dreaded when she'd needed to strengthen the barrier, feeling her body shake with the strain of it, fear muddying her usually pleasant scent. But that had felt like it put no burden on her body at all.

"That was… easier". Kagome turned around, reaching up to place her arms around Inuyasha's neck. "It felt much better. It could have been because I'm closer, but I think it was more that I wasn't afraid."

Inuyasha lifted her up and swung her around, and she laughed joyfully. "I am so proud a you!" he grinned, leaning back to put more force into the spin so her legs swung out almost horizontal to the ground, and she screeched with laughter, tears coming into her eyes as she giggled uncontrollably. He hitched her around his body, so she was safely on his back, her thighs on his hips, with his hands wrapped underneath them, thumbs rubbing the bare skin near the cuff of her shorts affectionately.

"It's too early to go ta lunch. Wanna come for a run with me?"

"Always, dog boy", she grinned, planting a smacking kiss on his cheek.

He bunched his leg muscles then leaped into a giant cedar tree without warning, and Kagome squealed, arms wrapping tightly around his neck.

"There's that baby elephant again", he sniggered, and laughed even harder as she let go her tight grip with one hand and swatted him hard on the shoulder, no longer frightened of his inhuman speed as he leaped from branch to branch, making his way to the top of the tree.

"Shut. Up!"

"Aw, you love it."

"Jerk. You're lucky I love you!"

"I know I am."

"Me too", whispered Kagome, reaching up to tug on a soft pointed ear.

"Fuck… what have I told you about the ears Kagome!"

Their sound of their combined laughter died away as they left the clearing, leaving only shards of sunlight and a tall dark stone, ominous and silent.

* * *

_I want to thank everyone who was so supportive when I started writing this - it was meant to be a one-shot, inspired by a piece of art by ClearWillow, and now here we are only three months later; a novel length fanfic complete with its own fanart._  
_The Inuyasha Tumblr community have been lovely, and this fic was nominated for both Best AU and Best Action by the Feudal Connection, and won Best Action! Still stoked over that._  
_If you're interested, I posted a lot of background stuff for this AU on my Tumblr - also BearPlusCat - just search on the tag 'Into the Woods'._  
_Thanks so much for reading - I hope you enjoyed it!_


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